Auntie Irene's Coffee Shop — Restaurant in Des Moines

I’ve been going here for over a year to get my coffee and burrito. It was really convenient for me because my business is down the street. But I did notice 2 of the barista’s are not very friendly. Then the other baristas. I also noticed those 2 workers are super friendly to the Caucasian customers mostly, but not with non caucasian.

It was always a bit weird for me to see that going on. But I still continue to go because the food was good and the owner seems like she’s a really sweet lady. The guy is also super sweet. The new younger blonde girl is super sweet and the Samoan is super sweet, it’s the 2 blonde older gals in their 30s i believe that i noticed have attitude problems. I don’t know if they are related to the owner and maybe that’s why they’re still there. But if I was her, I would’ve fired them along time ago.

Maybe it wasn’t intentional, but I have heard that this place is known for discriminated other races From more than several of my clients. And thats not good for business. So they might want to take it into consideration to treat every customer the same because it does look bad. I have a business and I know how that goes. I’m not saying they are racist, but I am saying that they do treat Caucasians way differently than color people.

Yesterday for the first time over a year my coffee was off. It just tasted very strong and I usually ask for a decaf white chocolate mocha extra sweet with whip. I been asking for the same coffee for over a year and I kindly told them that the coffee was really strong. And their reaction was just rude.

It really shocked me. They looked at me like I was dumb and said well it was made the same way. And just continued to make their coffee. 5 min later they she asked well Do you want another one? It actually made me feel bad for telling them to remake it.

They made me another one and called out my coffer and I said thank you and no response back that whole staff was rude. Not even a sorry, It’s not that I’m expecting an apology and I understand things happen but they made me feel like I was doing something wrong by telling them my coffee was strong.

I would expect a different reactions cuz I’ve been going there for a long time. But these girls don’t even remember my name. They still asked me what my name is I’ve experienced them being rude a couple of times when they’re busy. But this time I took it really personal because I’ve been a loyal client of theirs for over a year now and for them to react like that when I told them, my coffee was strong, should’ve been a nicer reaction. I’ve never complained about the coffee until now. I will definitely not be going back.

Now i see what my clients where talking about when they say service is really weird there for people of color. Its...

Susie, the owner, stopped to say hi on our way out. She and her hardworking team have made the most welcoming, efficient, and lovely spot with views of the water! I have worked in coffee for decades. My espresso shot had the richest crema on top! It was served in a mug, and I asked for 1 scoop vanilla ice cream and 1 scoop espresso almond fudge ice cream. A must try. You get to have a few bites of cold ice cream with espresso hard shell covering it, and then it melts in to become a cold, frothy coffee perfection! To have ice cream and coffee in one spot is so fun! The prices are also so reasonable. Under 3 dollars for 2 espresso shots made on a traditional machine. Not push button coffee like Stirbucks or drunken nodouhnuts here! A good sign is the line around the block for drive thru that moved fast! The menu variety of savory freshly prepared, meat, veggie, vegan, and gluten-free items was awesome to see, as well as fresh local pastries and many flavors of ice cream. It's hard to find all this in one well run spot that our whole family can order something from. Support them when you are in the Des Moines area. The only thing that made us sad is that we did not know about this place sooner!! It is one you will plan your next visit to before you are even gone. Like us, we want to make a special 1 hour trip to bring our mom here! They have ample window wrapped bar seating for working or reading and big round tables for large gatherings, plus the outdoor seating is so adorable! Kid games and even a reading reward card (see attached photos) Thank you, Susie, for keeping your faith at the forefront and rewarding this community with such a wonderful place to gather!! To your continued success 🙌...

I experienced different treatment in customer service comparing to white customers. I’m an asian male customer and I really felt neglected and discriminated the last time I was here. I called for a to-go order of one breakfast panini and two coffees. They said it would be ready in 10 mins and I showed up 15 mins later which is plenty of time for it to be ready. I came inside the store. All of the baristas are young white girls and they looked it me without a smile or any welcome. I waited for 10 minutes first in line at the front desk while all the the baristas took care of multiple drive thru customers. After I paid, i waited for at least 15 minutes while at least 2 white customers that came AFTER me in the store would pay and got their orders BEFORE me. I then noticed the barista brought out two ice coffees but did not talk with me at all so I assumed it was not my order. Nobody have asked if I want ice or hot coffees even on the phone. What I wanted were one iced and one hot coffee so at that time I didn’t know that two ice coffees were mine. One of the older ladies in the kitchen was checking on me and I told her that I still waited for my order. The barista overheard the conversation and just pointed at the two ice coffees and yelled “Right here!” It caught me by surprised because for a second I thought she was mad at me but I was not mean or demanding at all. Nobody like “Karen” and I always try to treat restaurant staff with respect whenever I go. But I know I did not deserved to be treated this way. Their behaviors are really evident for racism and it motivated me to write this review so other people could stay away. And I definitely would never...