Vero Espresso — Restaurant in Eugene

UPDATE: Far be it from me to not commend when I see improvement. On my recent visit we had a much better service experience. All 3 employees were jovial and acknowledged us. I'll bump up to a 3-star rating.

PREVIOUS: This place made me feel like my brother did when we were kids and my mom forced him to bring me along with his friends.

20-somethings that barely stopped talking to each other to take my order and who didn't stop talking to give me my drink. Seriously. He finished making my Chai Tea, slid it in my general direction, and never stopped talking to the girl in the back. I paid $11.50 for a yogurt parfait and a Chai Tea. And the yogurt took nearly 20 minutes to prepare. Really? As for ambiance, we sat outside with our order and were treated to a keg party happening one block down on the front lawn of a frat house. It was 10a on a Saturday.

A pretentious staff, mediocre food & drinks, and inflated prices to give the (false) impression of superiority. The second star is only given for the house itself, which is beautiful and likely ashamed of...

My sister and I were looking for a “Local” coffeehouse and found VERO on google maps. Smiling during the walk up the porch and into the cozy warmth of a converted house, out expectations of finding something different from corporate coffee was met and exceeded! A knowledgeable young man was the barista on duty. He was able to recommend the perfect cup for my sister who is really a tea person. She loved the flavor profile and kept saying how amazing it was to not have any bitterness at all! I had the Cafe Borgia and watched as he delicately ladled a large dollop of white whipped sweetness into my cup. It was so delicious we had to get their seasonal eggnog latte for my other sister along with three slices of a “not too sweet“ carrot cake. Some places try to over sweeten their confections this cake was moist and the sweetness of the carrot and raisins were more than enough under a 1/4-1/2 inch layer of icing. YUM! Products 10! Atmosphere 10! Service OUTSTANDING! Can’t wait to return! Worth going out of your way...

I don't post this lightly because there are few coffee shops as cozy as this. However, the last few times I've gone there, the employees were unfriendly and acted as if they couldn't be bothered with my order. The first time the gentleman didn't even look at me while taking my order and didn't acknowledge what I said. I had no idea if he was even hearing me. Turns out it he wasn't because he made the coffee with milk instead of soy. The second time was a girl who also didn't look at me, smile or have any other form of pleasant human interaction. The coffee was also terrible. I was too nervous to even take it back because of how unfriendly they were. If they were that unhappy while taking my money, how could I expect them to act when they are having to actually be held accountable for their lazy efforts? Anyway, it really sucks that people lack customer service skills in so many businesses today because this cozy little place could be really special. If I wanted to be treated like I didn't matter at all I'd go to...