I recently visited Or Bar Coffee, a local spot that had been recommended to me as a great workspace and coffee shop. As a neighborhood resident, I was excited to finally check it out, especially since it had been popping up in my social media feeds.
My peer and I arrived around 5:30 PM, hoping to find a spot to work and grab a coffee. However, the atmosphere felt more like a bar than a workspace, though we were still able to order decent oat cappuccinos.
About an hour into our visit, the situation took an unpleasant turn. A tall man with silver hair, whom we later learned was the manager, approached us and asked if we were driving a Honda Civic. When we confirmed that one of us was, he told us to "move the vehicle forward" and claimed we were "taking up the whole parking lot." This statement was simply untrue, as we had parked appropriately upon arrival.
Trying to diffuse the tense moment, I laughed and assured the manager that we were not occupying the entire lot. However, he only became more confrontational, doubling down on his unnecessary and rude comments. At this point, we felt unwelcome, especially as the only non-white, non-male patrons in the space.
Feeling uncomfortable, we promptly closed our tab and made our way out. On our way out, we stopped to provide constructive feedback to the manager, but he responded with profanity and a complete lack of respect for us as customers.
This experience was a far cry from the positive impression I had gotten from the establishment's social media presence. Instead of finding a new space to work and enjoy coffee, we left feeling disappointed and disrespected.
Fortunately, we were able to salvage the evening by visiting the nearby Swingers diner, where we received excellent service and delicious food. I would not recommend Or Bar Coffee based on this unfortunate encounter, as the poor customer service and potential discriminatory practices make it an unwelcoming environment. read more
