Black Bear Coffee — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

This review does not reflect Black Bear Coffee as a whole, but rather our most recent encounter on July 17th. The customer service today was one of the worst we have ever experienced. Our blonde server Natalie was extremely rude and brusque. She rolled her eyes at us when we placed our order, then while making the drinks talked loudly to the other server about how customers always come in at the last second and order drinks. We got to the store at 3:40pm, and received our drinks well before closing time. If closing is at 4pm and you don't want customers 15 minutes prior, why leave the doors open but make customers feel unwelcome and uncomfortable? Usually Black Bear is a fun and pleasant atmosphere with incredible drinks and treats. But our server helped us find out the best way to ruin an experience is to have offensive and rude customer service and poorly made food. To be honest, I didn't think an Oreo crunch could be ruined - somehow our server found a way. We ordered several Oreo crunches and every single one was bland with huge ice chunks and crunchy ice bits throughout. Fyi, Oreo crunches are BLENDED drinks. That means more than 9 seconds of blending in order to make an actually palatable drink. I think someone needs to clue in our server about that, as well as a lesson in real customer service, which should not include regarding customers as inconveniences combined with displays of explicit rudeness. I’ve worked in restaurants and cafes before when I was in high school/college. One thing I learned is that you can’t clean your entire working area 30min before closing time! All it takes is a couple customers to walk in and order and your right back to square one! You clean once the store is closed it’s that simple. It’s a terrible business model to be rude to customers because your upset that they came in when the store is still open. Hope the management at Black Bear realizes this and expects more from their employees than the experience Natalie provided. My advice to Natalie: don't take a job in customer service if you don't know how to keep your childish attitude under wraps! Wish I could take my tip back I had left for you because you definitely did...

I didnt get any food, but the coffee was great. Reason I am docking a star is because of a few minor issues.

First, the man who took my order just seemed totally uninterested in actually having customers. Felt like I was interrupting his computer browsing. Sorry for interrupting you to put in an order. The barista who made my coffee was wonderful though.

Next, the disjointed atmosphere. You can see the new owner's influences and the old owner's style. The place has a log cabin vibe with a Middle Eastern themed corner and random rugs that don't match at all. Its a minor gripe, but a gripe none-the-less.

And finally, I feel like they have a missed opportunity. The owner is clearly Middle Eastern. Likely Kurdish based off the decor in the corner. I think it would be great if the owner embraced something to set the store apart. As it stands right now, its a coffee shop. They have pretty much all the stuff you'd expect a coffee shop anywhere to have. They do it pretty well. But they could make themselves stand out by offering Middle Eastern coffee styles as well. Would be cool to be able to get a Turkish coffee outside of a Middle Eastern restaurant. And then the Middle Eastern influences on the store wouldn't feel so out of place, either.

So yeah, if you are in the area, this is a good place to grab a cup of coffee. As it stands right now though, it is nothing to go out of...

I have been here for the last 2 months very frequently to sit in the cozy and friendly atmosphere. I have tried a lot of the menu items and they are amazing but I have at this point met all of the staff and they are the kindest most personable girls I have seen in a long time. I have had meetings here and every client loves it too. The owner took over i think 2 years ago and let me say it is evident that he has truly poured his heart and soul into this shop! The staff loves their jobs and you can tell it is a great environment. I usually dont really leave reviews but seeing the 1 star recently made me get defensive over this small business and because i am here so often…i just wanted to tell the facts! This place has amazing regulars who have also been so welcoming when i come to sit for a few hours to work! Sometimes i think people forget what it takes to run a small business and just because the customers has a bad day isn't a reason to write such a scathing and inaccurate review. If you were not pleased speak to the manager or just move along to another place. That is my humble opinion and i hope it helps the staff know they are AMAZING and their dedication is noticed by us who appreciate their hard work...