Dutch Bros Coffee — Restaurant in Florence

I really wish I could give this place five stars. Ultimately I'm glad they opened a shop on Cloverdale Rd. We really needed a place like this on this busy street.

The pros: Staff is friendly. Almost a little too friendly. I've read online that they train their employees to be aggressively friendly and talkative. This is very apparent as every time I've visited they've tried asking me how my days is going, where I work, what I do... etc. I'd rather have overly friendly employees than rude employees so I can't really complain about that too much, but sometimes (especially at 6am when I just got up and need a coffee) I really don't feel like answering the same (well meaning) questions from a different employee every time.

Their cold drinks are really good. At least the blenders are. I haven't tried any of their other cold drinks, but they have a huge selection of flavors and I've tried probably five of the blender drinks off their "secret menu" (which is a menu of flavor combinations, think "banana split, mint chocolate chip, snickerdoodle" etc.).

They are fast. Don't have to wait 30 minutes in drive through like you do at Starbucks, and they have a walk up window that's even quicker if you want to avoid the line.

Cons: Again, a little too chatty and talkative for my taste. I sometimes pretend I'm on the phone to avoid being asked where I work for the third time.

My main complaint is that their hot coffees aren't sweet enough, and tend to not have enough flavor. I've ordered "extra sweet" but it still just taste like espresso. I am looking for something that taste similar to Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha but nothing comes close, and when I add different flavor options they just seem flavored, not sweet. Unfortunately I'll have to stick to Starbucks for hot coffee I guess.

The music - dear God the music is annoying. I get it, they're trying to be hip, and maybe some people enjoy the loud music in the morning and the chatty employees as a "wake up moment", but it's so loud I can barely hear the employees talk (and did I mention they do a lot of that?).

Overall - when summer hits I'll probably enjoy the cold blender drinks, but I drink hot, sweet coffee every morning and I can't find anything here to hit the sweet spot.

Still though, I'm glad...

I got confused looking at the menu and tried to order a "Picture Perfect," not realizing that a "Picture Perfect" could be applied to any drink, so then I panicked and ordered the Golden Eagle. I'm not sure if I got a double dose of the caramel and chocolate, but my drink was too sweet and sugary, which is honestly my fault . I should have been better prepared before my husband pulled up to the drive-thru.

My daughter didn't necessarily like her chocolate shake either. She said it had chunks of ice in it.

The prices are fair, and the drive-thru line moved fast. I need to look back over the menu and give them another try soon. ..maybe opting for...

Every visit to this Dutch Bros is a great experience—the energy, the vibes, and of course, the drinks are top-notch! The staff is always friendly, upbeat, and genuinely seems to enjoy what they do. It's the kind of place that brightens your day, no matter what kind of mood you're in when you pull up.

On top of that, huge shoutout to the owner. It’s clear that the positive culture at Dutch Bros comes from the top down. The commitment to great service, community involvement, and treating both customers and employees like family is something you don’t see everywhere. You can really feel that this place is run with heart. I will...