The Beanery Café — Restaurant in Summerland

It's good, but it's no longer great.

I've been here in Summerland since October of last year. So just over 4 months now. And I was lucky enough to stumble upon the beanery when I first came to town. The locals raved about this place, (and it still does receive high praise from people that I talk to) so I decided to check it out for myself. My initial reaction post-sale was extremely positive. It had a very vast selection of healthy and delicious menu items on display, all of the drinks that I had were quite good. But the one thing that really captured my attention was the atmosphere. It had a lot of character about the place, it had art on the walls, a beautiful layout, and the people behind the counter where genuinely interestedand having a conversation with you, only if it was for the 10 seconds or 15 seconds that they were preparing your drink. Post sale, I don't really have very many complaints about the food, although I do feel that the portions are a little bit smaller and they have altered a few of the recipes that should not have been touched, but when you walk in there, there's no... zing.

It's very sterile and uninviting. The Christmas lights on the wall where a nice touch perhaps around the Christmas time. But the reminiscence of the old beanery have all but vanished. The people behind the counter seem a little bit more sterile and treat you as a numbered customer that they want to get out the door quickly, rather than engaging with you to make you feel welcome.

Still has great coffee, and I still definitely will frequent the place, but sadly, I can't say it's going to be my first...

First time visiting since the new ownership and remodel. Not really impressed the changes. Prices jumped, quality hasn't, and the place feels like a bunch of unfinished pinterest projects. The wall bench with fake fur sheepskins on it is uncomfortable if you're over 5'6" & the wood is still rough & raw so watch for splinters. The pastel painted upright piano is utterly bizarre.

Muffins are still really tasty, coffee is still good, but not $5.20 for a medium cappuccino good. I still like the food and coffee they have, but it feels unfriendly, unwelcoming, and out of place now. It feels like the new owners look down on the town and the locals & just want to welcome the million dollar vacation home types and folks with a gentrification obsession.

I know things change, I know the world moves, and I wouldn't ever expect the old place to exist in a time capsule. I know covid sure isn't helping the general mood of anywhere right now, but I feel especially unwelcome at what was formerly a favorite, comfortable, friendly place, and I'm doubtful that I...

Stopped by to try out the Cafe today for the first time. Service was poor. Received my order slowly, one item at a time. We were sitting at an outside table so I asked if I could wait outside or if I needed to wait inside. I was asked to wait inside for my order. First came the sticky buns....I took the outside and delivered them first, then went back to wait for the rest of the order. A bit of a wait longer and the coffee was ready.....took that out to my friend. Went back in to wait for the last of my order. At this point there is a staff change, the person coming on obviously wasn’t finished with his phone messages as he promptly pulls out his phone and made that his priority. I asked once about my drink and was told it was coming, finally told them not to bother as my friend was pretty well finished with hers and we needed to get going. Not even sure why I even gave a one star, I am just assuming that the coffee was good as my friend did drink hers. The sticky buns were so tough, they were impossible to chew. We were...