The Pershing Café — Restaurant in Austin

For context, this cafe USED to be Greater Goods storefront coffee shop and was an absolute favorite and popular in the Holly neighborhood - it always had a line, no matter the time of day. We live walking-distance away and have been going for over 5 years. Previously great coffee/featured flavors/local food BUT what kept you coming back were the amazing staff. And a bonus of the owners being generous in supporting local orgs/nonprofits.

Recently the private social club Pershing bought the cafe and while they still carry GG beans and some of the lattes are similar, the vibe, customer service, pricing and food menu is different. The neighborhood chat group has a weekly disgruntled update of this price went up or this thing is now off the menu.

People: Many of our beloved baristas, who know all the neighbors, our nicknames, pets, coffee orders, etc. have moved on as business and management changed -- only a few gems remain. I had the rudest encounter I've ever experienced in Austin the last time I chose to go there with one of the newish staffers; it was morning on Sunday March 25th when I walked into an empty cafe (unheard of pre-Pershing) -- I've been sitting on this review trying to cool down ever since. I had to walk out without buying anything.

Pricing: New ownership has hiked the prices. A flavored latte will run you upward to $9 now if you tip at least a $1. Even subbing Oat for 2 Tbsp of milk in a Cafe Ole will run you the full latte upcharge of $1.

Food: There is an in-house chef but the selections are not desirable. They do still carry Sour Duck pastries which is a good thing.

Ambiance: They took out the learning space and put up a "Members Only" sign, closing half the cafe to Pershing Social Club members - adding the exclusivity vibe they strive for. Before you could enjoy a premium cup of coffee with people who knew coffee but didn't make you feel like an idiot if you didn't ... You could buy a quality latte but feel good that part of your purchase went to a good cause.

In fairness - the Pros: The space still is a light and pretty cafe that is super instagrammable if that is your thing. There's a lot more open seats now if you choose to patron. If you didn't know it before and you're ok with elevated pricing, you may not notice a difference. They have started working with Vegan Nom to sell their Tacos which are a Holly neighborhood brand! There is ample parking and open most of the day if you want to work.

In short, what made it special has lost its way and now it's just expensive. We no longer go here and decided to give our money elsewhere - there are so many amazing coffee spots within...

Tldr; The ambience is lacking, the staff is apathetic, bordering on flat out rude, the food is pretty good, and the coffee is still great.

The full story: The sale of this spot to Pershing has effectively killed the neighborhood hangout that this coffee shop used to be.

The coffee here remains excellent and the food is pretty delicious, but that's about it. And unfortunately that doesn't make up for the rest of the experience.

We live just a few blocks away and used to go to Greater Goods literally every single day, yes because the coffee is superior but ultimately what kept us coming back was the staff. They were top notch baristas who were extremely friendly, took their time to get to know the community, and (from the outside looking in) seemed to really enjoy their jobs. They knew us by name, they knew our dog by name, and they knew our regular order.

The staff that replaced them couldn't be more different. It is clear that they truly could not care less about the customer experience. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked up and said "hi!" to the cashier to be met with a blank stare. No greeting, no asking what I'd like to order, nothing. I cannot tell you how many times I've placed a simple order "12 oz iced vanilla latte with whole milk" to be met with "what size?" "what milk?" "iced or hot?". The staff seem flat out annoyed that I am there trying to order from them most of the time.

When it happens once, it's kind of jarring but is easy to brush off. And I did that for awhile, because interspersed in my visits was the lone friendly barista named Rachel who was super nice and reminded me of the old days at Greater Goods. But when this becomes the regular experience at a coffee shop, it's easy to see why they are struggling to attract customers, despite being in a prime location and offering great coffee and snacks. A simple "hi" and a smile go a long way, which seems to have been forgotten here. Coffeeshops like Desnudo and Mercado Sin Nombre are successful for a reason and it's not just the coffee but also the extremely positive ambience and community feel.

I really, truly gave Pershing East so many chances to redeem themselves and unfortunately it has become clear that they flat out do not care about providing friendly service, so I will not be...

tldr summary of what is a long review below: The negative comments are out of date. This is back to one of the best shops in ATX with vastly improved seating on weekends.

Been coming every Sunday for several years. The negative reviews since the new owners took over are largely out of date complaints. They stumbled a bit out the gate but by about any objective measure, they are now better than the past and that's a high bar. Some details: -Service: Staff is attentive and engaging. I come with my son to do math. Couple weeks back one of the staff was happy to engage with him about dinosaurs and he was so happy. Bottom line the folks are just nice and pay attention just like we all expect from this place. -Coffee: Coffee is on point. If you like GG coffee, they still not only use it but also go through the same setups to dial in the brew (I asked and am something of a coffee junkie). I dont drink any candy coffee so if the espresso was junk Id know. Milk&pour are both on point as well. Bottom line, I drink Cortados and there is no mysterious loss of quality. Menu: Here is where the new folks are improving the place. In the past, the shop had removed the juice & stroopwaffles that my son loved. Last week, lemonade was available which seems small but if you have a kid stuff like this matters. Stroopwaffles are still gone (hint hint) but there are expanded options on food/pastry front. Id really love if the place would keep some basic low brow juice boxes in the cooler for people with kids (unless they plan to have lemonade 100% of the time). Seating: MAJOR UPGRADE on weekends compared to the past. The so called "private" area that draws complaints is PUBLIC on the weekends. Not only does it greatly expand seating, its got places to work with a few monitors and phone rooms. In the past, I have had to leave because there was nowhere for us to sit so this is a welcome improvement. As to the complaining that its private in the week--it was never open under prior owners as it was a teaching lab. Nothing lost here during week and a huge improvement...