Enroute Coffee & Tea — Restaurant in Goodyear

Hubby and I recently discovered Enroute Coffee & Tea House a la Google search, when I was desperate for a coffee and tea place closer to our morning commute into work. Behold... Enroute!! Properly named even :P I'm always wary trying drinks at new places because you never know if they're going to be too sweet or too bitter or just bland.

Not here. We were SO pleasantly surprised. Our first drinks from Enroute were large iced Chumpkin Chais (from their seasonal menu) and oh my glob, DELICIOUS. Not too overly sweet. My ONLY very marginal nitpick is I do wish the chai were a little more spicy and pronounced, but please, you GOTTA try it still. It's delicious. We've been slowly working our way through the other chai drinks that pop up and every single one is fantastic. We're already grieving the loss of the (also seasonal) Apple Cider Donut Chai, lol. But looking forward to the next ones that pop up!

My husband isn't a coffee drinker, but I sure am, so I've also been working my way through their lattes. Their Cowboy latte (iced for me, any season), is my go-to so far. The Cookie Buttah is a close second. Their coffee in general is pretty darn smooth, it has a good balance to it. Not burned or bitter.

Someday, when I'm not enticed into the delicious menu they have, I'm going to see about them making me an iced London fog here ;)

Enroute also supports local small businesses with their goodies inside the store, and they've got baked goods from New Penny Cafe which have been to die for with every treat we've picked up so far. We're customers for life, and I am SO freaking excited to see what they bring for the winter holiday menus. My fingers are crossed for something chestnut.

Can't wait to see them implement online order too. Granted, we've NEVER had to wait long here, probably because we always seem to come in during lulls. Only once have we had to wait in a line but those baristas bust some serious butt, it didn't take ages to get through. A little patience goes a long way, the team we've dealt with have ALL been a delight to interact with :) I just get the social anxiety sometimes, so online ordering is always nice to see. Especially if it keeps up with those special menus.

Oh, and their prices? Superb, considering the size of the drinks you get. Star Bs and Dunks could never.

TL;DR - 100/10,...

So over this place. They do not get the concept of decaf or making orders correctly. Three times in a row they messed up, third she actually told me “so I accidentally made it with caffeinated, do you want me to redo it?” 🙃 And then acted so irritated when I said yes and made me wait for all the people after me. Three times in a row they gave me caffeinated vs decaf, then today, fourth visit in a row, I ordered a Chai latte, since it’s lower caffeine, and they can’t seem to get decaf through their heads, and they made it a DIRTY chai. The girl at the register did her job and asked me if I wanted espresso and I laughed and said absolutely not just being funny, and I still got espresso added. My daughter ordered a dirty chai, same drink, and mine was darker in color than hers and tasted like straight up coffee. Same as last time, I got a dramatic sigh and snark when I very kindly and apologetically asked for a new one, to the point that I just dumped the drink and left, because of how I was treated. Four strikes and you’re out. No, caffeine won’t kill me, but it’s not just me being picky, I’m extremely sensitive to it because of some health issues, and espresso or regular levels of caffeine make me physically sick. I go out of my way to be clear when ordering my drinks and nobody seems to care. They also don’t clearly label drinks that have ingredients made with peanuts, and I had to call them out on that in the past. Food allergies and sensitivities are not just people being Karens. They need to be taken seriously. I’ve spent a lot of money here over the years, it’s too bad they can’t get something so basic figured out, esp when I’m paying 20+ for two medium drinks. Done spending money here. FYI, spending $20 is a splurge for me, totally sucks to have to choose between dumping my drink, or being treated like crap to have it remade the way I ordered it. People with allergies and sensitivities already feel bad enough, we usually apologize ahead of time for even having the audacity to order something, places like this don’t make...

This was probably one of the most awkward and uncomfortable interactions I’ve had

I walked in to order 2 drinks and the manager, whose name is Jesse, I found out from other patrons there

He immediately said You can’t have that dog in here unless it’s a service dog and in full gear

I understand that many places have this rule and I am not opposed to the rule

I stated ok but would I still be able to order

Jesse just stared at me

I asked the question again

And again this surly man just stared at me

He then responded that the dog cannot be in there

Again, I responded that I understood I stated I did not plan on staying in the venue to drink my beverages and again inquired on if I could order

He then repeats that the dog has to be outside

I then ask Are you saying I can order but need to wait outside while the drinks are made and can then come back inside to grab the drinks and then leave

Awkward silence Heavy breath Rolls eyes

Says fine

I then step forward to order with a young lady behind the register

She points back at Jesse and says You actually order with him

I smile and say never mind and leave

As I’m in the parking lot 4 other customers come out to apologize for the interaction and go on to share their negative experiences and interactions with Jesse

He was described as rude, disrespectful and short tempered

I can’t help but wonder why he still works there Unless the owner isn’t aware of his behavior

It was one of the most uncomfortable exchanges...