I've been going to this location for about a year, ever since I moved in the area, so I have a lot…read moreto say. I've thought about writing a review for a while, as I've been dissappointed by them many times, but today was kind of my breaking point.
Firstly, the coffee is just fine and can be inconsistent. The large has FOUR shots which is insane (that's like 250mg of caffeine which is weird imo to have as the default for a large) and there's not a lot of flavor to any of their drinks, even the specialized ones. My friend got a white chocolate ube latte when they visited a couple months back, and it was so bland and dissapointing. I'm not expecting every drink to be overly flavorful or sugary sweet like Caribou, but when you order something like "ube white chocolate" it better taste like ube and white chocolate. Not slightly sweet coffee with milk.
You really have to know what you like and how you like it to get a decent drink here. On the other hand, maybe you like simple drinks and that's fine too. If you just want a hot black coffee or an americano, you might enjoy this place.
Espresso shots also blacken if they sit too long without being mixed with something else. Quite a few of the baristas let the finished espresso shots sit on the machine long enough that the shots go bad, and it's hard to enjoy the $8+ drink when it tastes poorly made and took 20 minutes to get. Which leads me into my next point...
They are SLOW. This is my biggest issue with them. I often stop here before catching my bus to work and I try to give myself 15+ minutes of a gap because, even if I'm the only customer, the drink can take up to 10 minutes to make, depending on the barista. It's an iced mocha.
They are located right next to the Green Line and several bus routes. This is a huge transit center for a lot of people commuting to work or the U, so a lot of customers don't have time to wait if they have somewhere to be. That brings us to today...
This morning I got there 20-25 minutes early, right around when they opened at 7am. I wanted to sit with my coffee and scroll on my phone before catching my bus. There were 5 people in line when I got there and 1 barista, which I knew would probably mean I wouldn't have extra time to sit on my phone, but I didn't mind. Most of the time I get my coffee and go as soon as it's made, so it's not an issue. There is almost ALWAYS 1 barista on staff in the mornings, unless they are training someone. Mornings are busy, you need to staff them better (@ Dogwood management).
Anyway, the barista was taking one order, making the order, taking one order, making the order, etc etc. I was a barista for several years and this figuratively kills me every time. Several of their baristas are (I'm assuming) trained to work like this. Their machines are able to pull 6 shots at a time, if someone wants a large and someone wants a small, you can pull those all at the same time. You can prep the drinks while the shots are going or take another order if everything's ready to go. You NEED to multitask, especially when there's people in line and you're the only one working.
There were still 2 people in line in front of me after 15 minutes of waiting. In this time, 2 people came in, saw the line, and left, and someone who had been waiting in line behind me left as well. The barista also never said "I'll be right with you," or "thank you for your patience." When the person behind me left from the line she told another customer sitting at the bar area "if they can't wait, that's fine. I don't mind." I do lol. Hurry it up, girl. After about 15-20 minutes I had to leave or else I would miss my bus, so I left.
I will say, there are a few baristas there who make good drinks very quick, but many of them either don't work the mornings often or have left in the past few months, so maybe I'm just missing out.
As for the location, it's great in theory. Nice tall booths with lots of privacy and it feels cozy. Right next to transit so it feels accessible. That's it. The music is good sometimes.
I dunno, it doesn't really matter all that much. Coffee is a luxury, you don't really need it, but it sucks all the same. They haven't changed in the entire year I've been going to them, and maybe they never will. Maybe they're fine with customers leaving because the wait is too long. The barista seemed to be.
I got Caribou instead this morning and even with a long line I got my drink within 5 minutes of entering, so...success I guess? I just like supporting more local coffee shops, so it sucks to have to resort to Caribou or Starbucks when a local coffee shop (Dogwood) is on my way to work.
That's it. Go or don't, it doesn't really matter. Some people seem to really like this place, it's not for me. I go there for convenience and pastries.