Overall this place was a huge disappointment for me.
My husband and I are in town for work and we road tripped out here with our two dogs. While my husband was working I decided to go check out one of the local coffee shops.
I was in the mood to try something new and unique. I stumbled upon Rawbean. I loved the unique twist of their monthly special drink menu themes and thought the drinks sounded clever. Plus all the awesome reviews didn't hurt! I was excited to see what interesting drinks they had for September and what theme they'd be offering this month, from the previous photos I saw The Office & Mean Girls themed drinks. I also thought the drive thru aspect was a plus because I had my two dogs and didn't want to leave them in the car.
So I pull up and the line was long, but other yelpers said the line moved quickly so I wasn't worried. I'm the type that I likes to see a menu before ordering...prices, unique offerings, maybe even some food options? But there were none outside and I didn't see any until I pulled up to the window to pay.
After sitting there for 30 seconds... I wasn't sure how the ordering process worked and didn't realize they would be walking all the way to the back of the line to get our order so I was caught off guard, I quickly l fumbled around trying to put on my mask out of courtesy and roll down my window as a girl walked up to my car and just stared at me.
She just stood there and barely said hi. I stared back for a moment waiting for some sort of menu paper or something.
Finally I realize okay no menus apparently I need to guess what they offer... I ask her if there are any specials this month, she huffs back in a rude tone "I can't hear you!" I ask again, louder, and she just stared at me like I'm an idiot. I ask once more "do you have any specials? Like you know the monthly special menu you have? Special drinks?"
She replies in a clearly annoyed voice "uh yeah, well we have drink specials this month" I stare blankly at her waiting to hear what they are. Seriously? I have to ask?
So I do. And the girl pretty much all but rolls her eyes at me! She sighs and starts barking the 6 or 7 drink options out quickly in a very annoyed tone again and I don't dare ask any questions about those so as not to unleash her wrath.
I quickly pick the first one be that sounded somewhat appealing: A coconut lavender latte and hoped for the best. Since I saw no menus I didn't know their size offering so I said "large" and Before I could even say I wanted it iced she flatly grunts "Hot?"
Then I ordered a large iced mocha for my husband, she didn't hear me again and gruffly said "what?!" After I ordered it. She was standing practically in my window and I definitely wasn't talking softly. Make sure you shout when ordering. There was construction down the street, so maybe that was it? Who knows.
The she sighs again and asks what size did you want those "16, 24 or 32??" Oh wow shocking I actually got some information from this place! I would have mentioned size if I had a MENU. She then just holds her hand out for my card and I give it to her and she walks away. No thank you, no telling me my total, no letting me know where I'd get my card back or from who. Nothing.
The guy at the window who gave me back my card was cheerful and friendly unlike his coworker taking the orders. He offered my dogs treats and my drinks were out a minute later.
That's what the two stars are for, speedy process and his attitude and service.
Now onto the drinks. First up: Coconut Lavender Latte. I assumed it would be coconut milk but it was so sweet, and tasted as if some cheap artificial coconut syrup was in it. I have no idea if coconut milk was in it or not. Lavender flavor was fine but also tasted artificial.
Second: Iced Mocha. It was alright, I prefer a strong coffee taste mixed with a rich, rich dark chocolate flavor in a mocha and this was neither. It tasted burnt and like hot chocolate powder.
I really wanted to love this place and was shocked at the bad experience, mediocre/artificial tasting drinks and serious lack of customer service. Seriously a huge disappointment.
BEWARE: This place is not new visitor friendly, apparently you have to be a regular to know what to order and don't you dare take longer than .5 to decide what you want and place your order. Also if you struggle with social anxiety like I do sometimes, this is the WORST place to go. They do not make it easy to order confidently.
I understand things are weird and we're all navigating a unique situation and I understand that they're trying to keep the line moving fast... BUT kindness, customer service and giving clear expectations and information to what you offer your customers should NEVER take a backseat.
There seems to be much better options out here. read more