Project Coffee — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I don't ever write reviews on places, but after my fairly recent trip, I almost feel obliged to. I've only ever been here for takeaways, as I live nearby, however my two friends and I decided to meet up here for a catch up. When we arrived it wasn't too busy, so we had the delight of getting a big round table next to the counter where the cakes and coffee machine is. I am so happy we got this seat, as we now know the true colours of the staff that work here. I am utterly disgusted and appalled at the staff. There is one male who frequently works here that is the most racist and disgusting person I have ever seen employed. He is very clearly not of black ethnicity and me and my friends caught him saying and using derogatory terms against black people, even going as far as to saying the N word to other staff (Who seemed rather amused might I add!!). Adding to this, during our visit we witnessed two foreign Asian girls which came up to order whilst the same male was serving. They struggled to communicate and my friends and I overheard him saying "Sorry, we don't serve sushi" to the two girls, followed by him laughing to his colleagues. Bloody disgusting!! Is this customer service??? I'm certain that the owner is unaware of his behaviour, and I blame management and other staff for not taking action, unless they stoop to his level too. I have been and visited the sister shops of Project Coffee (Press, Kilimanjaro) and staff there are lovely and very down to earth. Here is a different story. Racism, lack of respect.. Must I add the place was a wreck! Quiet day and so many dirty tables, staff were too busy laughing at the racist comments to do their job. Adding to this issue, the staff is so loud in the kitchen it is unreal. One girl was laughing so loudly me and my friends couldn't hear each other. Chatty, giggles and such but the water jugs were empty, people not served, dirty and unwiped tables. Honestly, if anyone reading this wants to get a taste of their delicious coffee beans I would reccommend visiting the sister shops, there's even one other one in Morningside owned by the same person. Safe to say me and my friends left rather quickly. I wish I had the courage to speak up and ask for the manager, but I thought I might aswell warn any other potential customers. The cakes are nice, I'll give the staff that. Nothing else special, not even...

I’ve been visiting Jon Sharp’s coffee shops for nearly 15 years and have always thought the coffee was outstanding. I’ve also really appreciated the stories I’ve heard about Jon’s dedication to quality and consistency—it’s something I genuinely respect.

That said, I’ve been increasingly frustrated by the constant prompt for a tip when ordering takeaway. A latte now costs £4.25, which I’m fine with—the quality is there, and I understand prices have gone up. But expecting a tip on top of that for a takeaway coffee feels unreasonable. I even asked one of the staff members once if they’d tip on a £4.25 takeaway coffee, and they laughed and said no.

What bothers me more, though, is how the staff’s attitude often shifts when I choose to skip the tip. I’m still a paying customer. Why should my experience change because I didn’t tip for takeaway? It honestly makes me think twice about sitting in, which I also do regularly.

By contrast, another favourite of mine is Artisan Roast. The coffee is slightly more affordable, the team is always warm and friendly, and they skip the tip screen automatically for takeaway—no awkwardness, no guilt-tripping. And it certainly doesn’t lack in quality. In fact, when you speak to coffee people around Edinburgh, it’s like the Apple vs. Android debate—everyone’s got a favourite, and both sides are passionate.

I truly hope Jon Sharp sees this, because I’ve always admired what he’s built. But in times like these, when many people are struggling, the tipping setup makes a difference. Over the past 10 visits to Bruntsfield, I’ve consistently chosen Artisan Roast—and I’ve had a great experience each time. Today, I decided to return to Project Coffee, and unfortunately, it reminded me why I haven’t been...

Went this Saturday afternoon to order a scone and an iced latte and the server at the cashier flat out ignored me even though I was next in line and was quite short with me as well. He just went straight to the lady behind me and even when serving me and I CLEARLY stated I wanted a scone and an iced latte, he just charged me for the scone. I was waiting at the side for a bit waiting for the latte after and he made no mention that he only charged me for the scone and when I mentioned I also wanted a latter, he just said he only charged me for the scone, proceeded to ignore me and serve the next person. I understand they are busy but I will say this same man has also been quite short with me many times and tends to serve the till on Saturdays. It is a shame as the food is good but the service is so poor. Also adding that I believe there might be an element of racism after reading other reviews as the women before & after me were both white and I am asian and it seems to be the same person who had previously made racist remarks towards both black and asian people as mentioned by...