There's Potential - And Issues To Fix......
I'm always on the lookout for an alternative to Starbuck's...so I tried the Simple Cafe when I had a couple of recent eye doctor appointments in Santa Maria. My experience in their location at the south end of town was bad while things farther north off Stowell were a bit better.
- Overall: 2 1/2 (South: 1 1/2. Near Stowell: 3)
- Location: 4
- Exterior: 3 (South: 4. Stowell: 2)
- Ambiance: 3 (South: 4. Stowell: 2)
- Menu: 3
- Food Quality: 2 1/2 (South: 1 1/2. Stowell: 3 1/2)
- Service: 4
- Price and Value: 3
- Parking: 3 (South: 4. Stowell: 2)
Pros:
- Location: Convenient. If one location doesn't fit, maybe the other one does.
- Exterior in south Santa Maria: Very new, contemporary and attractive.
- Ambiance in south Santa Maria: Spacious and clean with lots of room, including a bank of TVs along one wall. Sports were playing during my visit.
- Menu: About average. The usual drinks and pastries...plus some pre-made entrees.
- Service: Friendly. In both places, I was met and served with a smile.
- Price and Value: Reasonable. Decent prices - especially if drinks are done properly.
- Parking: Lots outside the south Santa Maria location, but a bit tighter off Stowell since it's located at the end of a large medical office complex.
Cons:
- Exterior near Stowell: Functional. You could easily drive by if you didn't know it.
- Ambiance near Stowell: Like an extremely quiet shop. Older. Much more low key than the southern location.
- Food: Bad in south Santa Maria...okay farther north. In both places, I ordered the same hot drink and said "please make it extra hot with extra foam and 1/2 sweet".
Down south, a young woman made it lukewarm with no foam and fully sweet. Up north, it was made by a middle aged guy who delivered it hot with decent foam and fully sweet. I noticed he didn't write anything on my cup...so unless a receipt was printed with the details he was going by memory.
In both cases, I looked for a cookie, but choices were very limited. Off Stowell, I bought a packaged biscotti from "Nonna's". I was there at 2 PM.
Simple Cafe has the potential to be a good alternative to other similar spots, but until they fix their flaws I'd stay away. My quest continues. read more