Verve Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in Capitola

Feeling terrible to post a bad review since this is my spot. I go to verve on 41st all the time ever since I was a kid. Ever since we got my dog which is a service dog never had a single problem getting into verve. And I’ve had her for 5 years now since Covid. My dog is a small, and very well trained, Pomeranian that me and my mom always have around with us going into verve. Never barks never gets close to people basically does whatever we tell her.

As a service dog owner I know the legal questions and everything else any business owner or a manager has the right to ask and get answers to. Never had a problem with that once. It happened to me before where people asked what service does the dog provide in a place that’s crowded but they were so polite about it. I have no problem whatsoever to provide and answer any questions. But there are ways!!

The fact that my mom went that one time to order coffee today and one blonde lady humiliated her in front of everyone asking what service the dog provided, my mom doesn’t speak well English, she clearly couldn’t express herself, and the fact that she asked her in front of people not alone in a low toned voice she literally made sure people saw and heard. My mom doesn’t want every single person in the coffee shop to know that she suffers from PTSD. That lady has no right to treat my mom like this in front of others specifically.

My mom’s skin is darker than me never had this problem when she was with me. We’re always literally every weekend at that verve.

Seeing a costumer coming in, not to even sit down with a dog that’s under 7lbs. Even with carrying her in her arms. And clearly seeing that she doesn’t speak English is crazy. And very disrespectful.

I understand all restaurants are changing their policies. But she wasn’t even going to sit she was ordering her coffee on the go and the dog was in her arms!!!!

We take her to all restaurants never once had this kind of experience. I just had her with us at shadowbrook, last weekend. Shes a service dog. She is needed. There are better ways to ask to leave with a dog politely. Not...

Was there recently & ordered a Hojicha tea- which I was excited to find on their menu- even though it was $4. Sitting with a friend (amid conversation and fairly loud music playing), I heard them call out a tea being ready. I went up and got the tea, receiving a smile and nod from the same barista at the register minutes before. I sat, sipped the tea, and discovered it was more Jasmine taste rather than what I ordered. Liking Jasmine & not wanting an interruption with my friend, I went with it. A couple minutes later, different staff member approached: "Um, that's actually someone's re-steeping..." I asked her to explain, and apparently it's the same cup that someone else drank from, before giving it back to the staff to re-steep and be re-presented at the pick-up counter. I was shocked that this could even happen. Do I have to SPELL OUT how this is unacceptable? When I objected as to how this could even happen, she got testy and insinuated it was my fault. I was given my (now cold) Hojicha tea that had been waiting for a while. It was tasty, just not hot: served in an open, beaker-shaped pitcher with the cup beside it.

I've realized why I won't be back to Verve anytime soon: this experience, plus watching their entire philosophy around customer experience shift over the last 4 years or so: moving more towards cycling people through there as fast as they can (no power outlets, etc) while forcing a more "communal" experience with the redesigned seating (ie: little or no personal space). After so many local coffee spots closing in Santa Cruz recently, you'd think a local business would pick-up on this fact: many of us are looking to sit somewhere aesthetically friendly, have something steeped or brewed, do some thinking, studying, working, or semi-private conversing- perhaps be a little social if it flows, and leave in due time. Don't look to the Verve for any of this: they've turned into trendy decor, mediocre coffee, and awkward seating. Oh, and you may be at risk to haplessly drink out of a perfect...

I grew up in Santa Cruz. I live just up the street. I’ve come to Verve for years—often grabbing a coffee to go, appreciating the fact that a place like this existed in my community. But on this visit, while simply waiting in line, I was approached by your manager, publicly questioned about the legitimacy of my service dog, asked invasive questions about my disability, and ultimately told I would not be served and needed to leave.

It was shocking. It was humiliating. And it was a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In the past, your staff has greeted me with kindness—sometimes even asking to pet my dog (which, while not appropriate for a working service animal, at least came from a place of warmth). This experience, in contrast, felt cold, judgmental, and deeply exclusionary.

Maybe losing one customer doesn’t matter to you. But there are plenty of other coffee shops nearby that welcome me and my service dog without question, judgment, or humiliation—and that’s where I’ll be going from now on.

But I’ll leave you with this: How would you feel if you were publicly questioned and asked to leave a place you’ve been supporting for years? What if it happened in the neighborhood where you grew up, right down the street from your home? What if it happened just for existing as you are, and needing the support of a service animal to move through the world?

That’s what happened to me. I hope you’ll take...