COFFEE CULTURE CAFE & EATERY — Restaurant in Winnipeg

I am not sure where to start. I really want to be able to give restaurants, especially small businesses 5 stars but after my experience today, that is just not possible, unfortunately.

Location: Conveniently located in the shared parking lot with Pembina South Sobeys, kitty corner to CIBC.

Parking: Free parking in the shared parking lot and outside of the store front.

There is no drive thru option, so it is walk in and take out or dine in. We decided to walk in and dine in. There was plenty of space to sit and only one other customer group sitting at a table.

Customer Service: Very poor customer service at this location. They really need to work on this because it was a huge turn off.

This place wasn't busy and what I noticed first was there was no greeting upon entry. I did say hi/how are you. We were asked if we knew what we wanted. I asked how it worked for dining in (did we purchase and then sit for example). I was informed we would have to show our ID and QR code. No problem there.

The barista did not appear as if she wanted to be there. Taking our order seemed almost painful.

Upon leaving, the barista walked away from the front counter. I said "Thank you" and the two staff couldn't do me the courtesy to even respond. They just looked and stared as I left.

Now, what makes this whole experience worse is that with certain folks who came in during the time we were dining in, their experience, the way they were spoken to and thanked was so nice and kind.

It is so very unfortunate that there's different service for different folks. I'm unsure what we did to deserve such poor treatment. I will not subject myself to this poor treatment again.

Food: Our hot drinks came a small piece of biscotti-- nice touch. The biscotti tasted great!

We had the full walnut salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was very good. The walnuts are candied, and the salad is topped with a type of feta--seemed more like a soft cream.

We also tried a sandwich--panini style. Nothing special but we were happy about the variety on the menu.

Their Chai latte tastes like it's made with lavender. Not what I was expecting for chai but I realize everyone has their own recipes.

We also found the drinks too sweet for our liking. We didn't specify any level of sweetness (nor were we asked).

They also had a variety of muffins, Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake, bagels and more. There's something here for everyone to try. They also have smoothies and other drinks too.

Cleanliness: Upon entering this cafe, there is hand sanitizer available. The restaurant however needs some finer attention to detail when cleaning. I too have worked in food establishments and when it's that quiet, you keep busy cleaning.

The table we sat at was dirty with several spots. There is no system to indicate to the customer what table has been sanitized and which one has not.

Overall very disappointed. I had been meaning to come check this place out but was severely disappointed. We've wanted to come at night but this place closes at 8pm (sometimes sooner!).

I would think, for being the only location currently in Winnipeg, you'd want to have a higher standard of customer service and care. At the end of the day, if there was consistency in customer service, that's all that...

THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER RECEIVED IN A CAFE. I enjoy working at coffee shops for a few hours always ordering multiple times throughout my visit whether it be coffee or a snack.

This is my third visit here. Same employee is borderline HARRASSING customers. My first visit was great here as he was not working.

Second visit, employee said at 6:40PM, "Everyone must leave in 2 minutes." Posted closing hour is 7:00PM. I was in the middle of a task I was wrapping up, and he said his announcement once every 10 seconds then he approached every single table to tell them "we are closed, you must leave now". Followed by waiting at their table until they packed up and got up.

Third and LAST visit, I order breakfast here while I am working. 90 minutes later, I go up to the counter to order another coffee. Before I say anything, employee emphatically says "By the way, if it gets busy, you will be first to be kicked out". I said "Excuse me?" He says, "there's a 90 minute time limit for booths". I said, "that's why I am ordering again, treat me as a new customer that walked in to order. It's not even busy (store is not even half full on a Sunday afternoon)." Employee responds "it doesn't work that way". I ask if this is only relevant to booths? Employee answers saying "yes, all other spots are fine". I say "no worries, I'll move to a table after I order." He says "Those are government regulations because of Covid, you can't move to a table. You must leave" I am very surprised by the amount of BS at this point so I wanted to clarify by asking "So you are saying if I sat at a table from the beginning I can sit here all day long, but if I sit at a booth I must leave the store after 90 minutes?”. He says "yes i am sorry". I respond saying "and you are saying those are government regulations?" To which he says "oh no I meant franchise policy". I said "okay thanks" and walked away.

I decided to not order anymore as I don't know if I can even finish my meal / coffee had I ordered again before Mr. Employee of the Year approached me again with his harrasing tone to kick me out.

Hands down, worst case of customer service and lack of management on the floor. Too bad as the products and ambiance were lovely. Boycotting Coffee culture for their...

Third time visiting and the OVERALL experience has been consistently good. While I have only ever had coffee, my guests have usually had something to eat and have had no complaints. The service however could be friendlier - It sometimes feels like the staff are indifferent or blasé about customers or their actual job (it's hard to tell), or that the customer's questions are bothersome to answer (for example today's queries: 'what types of non-dairy milks do you offer? Are they sweetened or not?' The attitude I received from the employee didn't make me feel comfortable about asking any further questions even though I still had questions). A smile and friendly tone would certainly go a long way. After we sat down, we realized that we didn't get any napkins, so I got up and went to the side counter where they had other coffee related items at the bar (stir sticks, cup sleeves, sweeteners, etc) but no napkins. I politely ask for napkins and I could feel the chilly response from the employee as he silently but deliberately (and almost dramatically) took napkins that were not visible to me and assertively placed them atop the rack that was there, like it was an inconvenience for him. After my guest and I were done, we picked up our cups and saucers and took them to the side counter instead of leaving them on the table for the staff to clean up. There wasn't even an acknowledgment of us doing that, even though there were two staff members standing right there ('thanks so much!', or 'you didn't have to do that but we appreciate it!' would have been nice to hear, even just a friendly smile - nothing). This place is a great alternative to Tim's or Starbucks but if that's the way they're going to treat customers, I'd sooner save my money and go to Tim's...