Chattahoochee Coffee Company - Riverside — Restaurant in Vinings

Beautiful location, and ok drinks/food ruined by redundant resident policy, profiling, and false advertising by the coffee company.

I used to go here all the time in Fall/Spring (specifically sitting along the river, not just the coffeehouse) to do some school work and support the community by buying coffee. Today I felt profiled and unwelcome after spending money on parking ($5 for a 2 hour limit which wasn’t a thing before) and buying coffee to sit near the river with a friend on a cloudy Monday afternoon. Hardly anyone was out due to spotty weather. First time ever being approached by a “River Monitor” after just sitting near the river for ten minutes about not being able to use that space and that parking actually ONLY give access to sit in the coffee house and anything near the river is solely exclusive to the residents…Really?

My issue is that out of everyone within the vicinity, me and my friend were the only ones approached not only once but twice within 10 minutes. Yes, I made sure we stayed the entire 2 hours that was paid for to observe that no one else has been approached in the entire timeframe, just us. Originally this River Monitor (Hope) was going to give us “30 minutes” to stay in the area but ten minutes later we were approached by another River Monitor (Kevin) explaining this loosely enforced policy, passively referred to the sign by the pool as “warning” for the policy and passively stated “We’re happy that you’re here!” and said we’re fine the stay- clearly not if I had to have two separate discussions taking up paid parking time on why I wasn’t going to move as a paying guest. I would sure hope if I paid for 2 hours of parking plus a drink for me and a friend that I could enjoy the area like I would before?

When I asked about property management I was directed to a Barbara who wasn’t available. To which I will be consulting with corporate. The kicker is in the two hours of staying there, I have yet to see another River Monitor (total of about 4 in the area) approach another group or individual about whether or not they were residents. There were two couples that came by the same area that weren’t approached, several couples and individuals walking along the river that were never approached, no more than maybe five people were outside initially and me and my friend were the only ones asked to leave?

I even asked if we can’t sit by the river can we just walk along the river and enjoy the coffee- which is advertised heavily, only to be told that is ALSO not allowed? We were not loud, rude or distracting - just enjoying coffee until this occurred. If ridiculously redundant policies are going to be in place, make it fair enough so: a.) people can know explicitly what they’re paying for and b.) at least offer to refund for parking and coffee for falsely advertising where I can enjoy the coffee - The reviews across Google and Yelp show coffee cups and customers in areas that aren’t just exclusively the coffee house. So don’t advertise access to the river as part of the experience if it isn’t. Don’t advertise the space as open to the community only to up charge and not fully be able to just walk along and sit outside next to the river. The business as well as the rental property should be held accountable, hence my distain and negative review (in additional to corporate emails and...

Ok bear with me, but don’t go here.

I drove 30 minutes to study at a coffee shop on the river my friends had told me about, only to discover at the gate to an apartment complex, where apparently this coffee shop is located, that you have to pay $15/mo—and the only option is to set up autopay—to get in the gate to the (not even attractive or updated) apartment complex. You have to do this online on your phone while you’re at the mouth of the apartment complex clogging up access to the gates and people are honking at you to get out of the way. But you drove 30 minutes so now you are invested.

Then, you have to go find the leasing office of the apartment complex and have a meeting with someone there as if you’re at a bank taking out a mortgage, who sits you down, asks you questions, tells you you have to come at least once a month or you’ll lose your “membership,” and gives you a sticker to put on your car so you can get in next time (ma’am, there won’t be a next time).

You are also told to download your membership confirmation to your Apple Wallet in case you’re subjected to one of the random checks by the staff, where apparently they just walk up to you while you’re sitting at a coffee shop doing work on your laptop to ask if you’re even allowed to be there, and if so, if you can prove it (I can’t imagine these discretionary “random” checks leading to discrimination or anything…)

Then, after that nonsense, you have to go register your car and pay $5 to park for a MAXIMUM stay of either 2 or 3 hours, depending on the source (the parking signs say 2; coffee shop says 3). After subscribing on auto pay for $15/mo, meeting with an agent, moving your car to the appropriate lot, registering your car information, and paying $5 for parking… the coffee is fine. Maybe it’s even good, but nowhere near life-changing, as the many barriers to access would suggest. (The view is nice, but it’s free to see the river elsewhere!)

I get that this is Walton (the apartment/landlord) and not the coffee shop doing this, but the coffee shop should seriously consider getting outta there, because I can’t help but think these absolutely insane lease terms are seriously affecting their brand goodwill (which they should care about! they have another location in west midtown!) even if it isn’t their fault. Alternatively, if the terms are going to be this ridiculous, they should just close that location to the public.

Anyway. Go somewhere else to hang by the river & go somewhere else to get perfectly fine coffee. Not a club you need/want to...

this coffee shop appears to have some of the best views in the state of Georgia as a native Georgian, who has lived here my entire life. I will stop at nothing to take a new experience through this great state as I’m sure many of you would. In any case, after driving almost 2 hours from my hometown, I was shocked to find out that this coffee shop is members only access for $15 a month. well, this doesn’t sound like much to some people, but this coffee shop appears to be at the back of a regular apartment complex that one might find in any small town across America. It is shocking to me that a coffee shop that only advertises its members only access status in the fine print on its website would be behind a gate and still advertise to customers who do not pay their membership access. One could imagine that in this great country we might be able to visit a pretty coffee shop and in this economy, I would love to be able to take my girlfriend out for a nice cup of coffee with a pretty view, however it is clear to me that this is an elitist establishment that seems not to care about common people and the public access to third spaces, and I wonder how many people of all different backgrounds are barred from access to this coffee shop, and how many of them may have driven for such a long time. This is quite honestly exactly what i would have expected for this area of the city. Of COURSE we cut off the river access for people without the money to look at it. The origins of coffeehouses in this country were vibrant centers of debate and intellectualism, powering social change and technological innovation. The public nature of these spaces is AbSOLUTELY necessary and should be inherent. It appears that this apartment complex is LITERALLY gatekeeping this establishment from the arms of those who cannot pay- this is at once unpatriotic and yet seems inherently American.

I will admit that my principles may be somewhat self righteous and not altogether important, but I really wish this scenario was different. I would love to see Chattahoochee Coffee Company and the apartment complex do better or at the very least provide an explanation to their increasingly exclusive barriers, the likes of which we see at federal agencies and country clubs, not typical coffeehouses across the...