Coffee Bar on the common — Restaurant in Bellingham

First off I want to say that my husband and I are coffee lovers and love to try new places as they pop up! When we saw this place pop up in Bellingham we had really high hopes that we would now have a local coffee shop that put out wonderful coffee, sandwiches, and bakery items. Needless to say, I was left so unimpressed with how awful the coffee was and how embarrassing the breakfast sandwiches are that they are putting out. While the place is super cute and the customer service is top-notch because everybody is so kind and welcoming, the products are overpriced and they do not meet the standard of a specialty coffee shop. They advertise selling lattes and don’t even have an espresso machine so basically you’re overcharging people for lattes and not providing the product that’s actually supposed to go into them. I’ve also attached a picture of my sandwich that I received and this is the second sandwich that I received from them that was just incredibly embarrassing. The first sandwich I ordered was advertised with “thick cut bacon” on it and when I opened up the sandwich, I almost died to see a 3 inch slice of Canadian ham put on it, again false advertising. Today was my last try with this place after two prior attempts to see if maybe they had a few bad days. So I ordered a breakfast sandwich that was supposed to be sausage, egg and cheese and I have attached the picture below because how can you sell a product that looks like this For almost 7 dollars?! I could get a better looking sandwich at honeydew which is two seconds down the road . The only thing that I’ve liked about this place is some of their bakery items are quite good because they outsource them. To charge the prices they are charging you must provide quality products and your sandwiches and coffee are not that and quite frankly it’s embarrassing that you are not providing What your advertising. I hope that the owners take this feedback and actually make the changes needed to create a true coffee shop experience for people who love coffee and know about coffee and...

I mean, love the place and will hate to go see under. There’s a lot of things to be fixed !

1. get yourself an ice maker ( a bucket doesn’t cut -germs )
2. rent a Taylor machine for ice drinks
3. train your employees . I know there are super friendly and I love them. But they have to find a better system . Invest into a POS machine that prints tickets or get the lady at the register to make at least the drinks.
4. the “ bring to the client the food” doesn’t work unless they are sitting. In reality if they have a name or number . You can just call out from another window . Easily you can place the items at a table near the second door.
5. the sandwiches or pastries need to have a description . I got a risole / calzone that was reeked with curry. I would have chosen something else if I knew.
6. the lady at the register needs to ask questions ; “ sandwich warm or cold”? , Do you want sugar or sweetener? Any flavor ? I asked for a ham sandwich and after a big bite was rock solid the cheese cold - the line was so huge that I didn’t bring myself to ask to warm up . After I had already eaten a piece I can’t ask to warm up as cross contamination would happen . I ate cold and sucked it up. 7)the second time I went in. The lady at the register had a hard time ringing me up, it seems she didn’t have a full knowledge of the machine and didn’t know where the card needed to go.
7. the other lady in the back was working twice as hard to make it up for the lack of help the ringer was.
8. there’s too many items on the menu ; make an item of the day! And make it well and fresh!
9. hire teenagers to work in the weekend - they are fast and you can certainly put on in the register, one in the pastry, one to clean up tables and deliver food ( if needed). That way the sandwich lady doesn’t need to leave her station and the drink lady doesn’t need to leave her station either. Trust me will work! I hope you do make changes...

I decided to visit the Coffee Bar this weekend after seeing their facebook posts about their grand opening. Since it was opening day, I waited about 15-20mins in line, and the woman at the register was very sweet and gave me 3 extra punches on their loyalty card for the inconvenience. I ordered the Scallion Stallion breakfast sandwich which was a 10/10! Their coffee was good, but wasn't really my style. I think they use Torani syrups, so it was a bit too sweet.

The condiment bar (with straws, napkins, etc.) is placed behind the line where people are ordering, which creates a traffic jam. Customers have to push through the line just to grab a straw. It would make more sense to move it to the opposite side of the door for better flow.

As someone who works remotely and frequents coffee shops, I have to mention that there are limited plugs for laptops. Also, unless I am mistaken, there are no bathrooms at this location so keep that in mind!

I'm giving 5 stars because it's a brand new spot with potential. They’re clearly working hard and being thoughtful with customer experience. Hopefully they make a few adjustments. I’d definitely like...