Dayglow — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

My friend and I were on a coffee date a few weeks ago and she recommended Dayglow to me. It's about an hour commute by public transportation from where I live, but let me tell you that it was 100% worth the trip, especially in the freezing weather.

The space itself is simple but cute. Leaning more on the minimalistic side of things. It reminds me of a lot of Japanese cafes. The aroma of naturally processed beans was in the air when I arrived and it made me want to buy a bag of them immediately.

I opted for the Totoro drink which was black sesame inspired. It was wonderful. It was rich and creamy but not too sweet. It was really hard to choose just one drink as the entire menu looked amazing and I appreciated that they had little pictures of what the drinks would look like because, let's be honest, that's important when you're someone that writes reviews and posts to Instagram 😂

The staff were super friendly and I could tell that they were knowledgeable about the drinks and offered to help even though I decided to just take a chance on one of the drinks.

This does seem like a space that people go to in order to work and although it wasn't crowded when I went, I've been told that it can get very very busy during the middle of the day so it's best of ice to go early when they open or around near when they're closing.

I also found it a little difficult to find the location as I went in through the back entrance of the larger arts center, but there's plenty of signage pointing you to the coffee shop.

I can't wait to go again because I want to try everything and take others to experience...

The coffee was out of this world. I was in a rush so I didn't have a lot of time to find out more, but I'm a coffee guy. I like fresh ground coffee from quality beans. Starbucks is a necessity for me only because it's on every corner, but, to be honest, the coffee is not my favorite. Dayow had an imported brand that the guy behind the counter said is their standard. One sip made me sit down and relax for a minute despite the fact that I had to run to work. I had a serious Cafe chill moment. The flavor was bold, but lower in acid than other coffees. It was just plain good. My coworker had an iced cocoa coffee that he said was amazing. He usually gets a white chocolate mocha with oat milk from Starbucks, but he said he loved it.

In comparison to Starbucks I'll say this, coffee quality at Dayglow is much better and you taste the difference. However, if you don't know much about coffee you may not notice. I've had coffee from everywhere in the world so I do. Serving sizes run small but are comparable to other coffee places pricewise. Also, there are not as many options for drinks as say Starbucks, but the guy said he can experiment and make it as close as possible.

It's right next to the converted railroad tracks that have some beautiful graffiti that a local group painted to reflect the community. The guy said that before the building that it is in was there, the spot used to be a skate park. You can kinda feel that energy.

Overall, I will go out of my way for this coffee. If you try it I think you...

The cup of coffee below is the one I got instead of Dayglow.

Here's why ...I asked if dogs were allowed, and was told yes, but you need to wear a mask. So I said, I just need a cup of coffee, and put money on the counter by the door, but was told they only take cards. So I put a card on the counter and waited outside in 20 degree weather for a the batista make the transaction. As it appeared he said that was ok. No one was at the counter and there the card sat. 5 minutes, 6 minutes 7.... there I sat outside waiting for the touch less transaction to be made.

I popped in the door, "can you do that?" To which he said I can give you a mask, to which I replied I can't wear one. And despite it being the businesses job to provide reasonable accommodation, I attempted to create it myself. And was still denied access to a public accommodation. You can't know my health concerns, and aren't medical qualified to make any such determination, and are those required to provide reasonable accommodation, which you refused. So instead I went to the gas station, and got a cup of coffee for half the price.

Small businesses have been tricked into enforcing policies, their corporate competitors know are liability issues. And a result, small businesses not only lose business to corporations, they also open themselves up to liability concerns by discriminating against their customers.

I am willing to go out of my way to support a small business, but when that isn't reciprocated, I can only say you get what's...