Necessary & Sufficient Coffee — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

I’ve worked in the service industry for several years and now work as a nurse. I know times are difficult for everyone, but providing kind service is the least we can all do for eachother. I just came home from a travel assignment and went to take my dog on a walk around the neighborhood. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 26 years and seeing the changes in our area is difficult, but I’m still always welcoming to new shops that open. We had went to this coffee shop during the pandemic and they were so kind to Canelo& gave him a treat while we waited. This left a good impression on me.

I always try to support my local coffee shops and today decided to go grab a quick cafe con leche from this cafe before my walk with canelo. I ordered and asked for a pup cup, the lady at the register said excuse me, what’s a pup cup? (Giving me a snark) While explaining i hear the barista inside say “absolutely not.” I ignore this rude comment and just say it’s a cup with whip cream, and the guy inside again says “no” loud enough for me to hear. I say it’s ok! Don’t worry. The lady goes “we have dog treats.” And leaves it as that and turns away. I get my coffee and walk away. Taste it and it’s not a cafe con leche it’s just coffee. So I walk back and they say yeah we gave you the wrong order, but you took off. She proceeds and pulls the old café con leche off the shelf and gives it to me. I taste it and literally it taste the same as the old coffee just w a splash of creamer? Mind you, I was right around the corner eating a sandwich I had ordered…so no, they didn’t even bother to peep out or try to find me after i “left”. Because I was right next to the building the entire time. Overall, I had to throw out the coffee because of how bad it tasted (not a cafe con leche, I’m cuban so I would know.) BUT even if the coffee wasn’t great…the customer service was terrible.

Again, I never write bad reviews unless I’ve had a terrible experience… and would’ve brushed this off if the customer service was better. But i didn’t make me feel welcomed and felt totally brushed off. It’s all about the approach and how you treat your customers.

Won’t come back here & will guarantee my loved ones don’t experience this...

I’ve never been actively gaslit by a restaurant until today. I placed my order in the Joe app today about fifteen minutes before I showed up at the store. I told a specific person who I was and spelled my name to them J-o-n because a lot of people have my name in order to pickup our food and drinks as is expected there. There was a pretty sizable group of people in front of the coffee shop which is totally expected on a Sunday morning. What was not expected is that every single person who came up to the window or showed up while I was standing there was served before I got my order. This included people who placed their order on the spot. After every other person was gone and I was the only person standing on the sidewalk the same person who I had given my name to earlier asked what I was waiting for. I told them and they immediately handed me my order and told me it was waiting for me and that I should have come up and told them my name (like I did at the beginning of this story) they then said I know you did give your name but just so you know you should do that in the future 🤷🏻‍♂️. Our drinks and food were piping hot so they most certainly just made them. I’m almost certain this is because I didn’t tip because the Joe app is broken and instead of selecting a custom amount of dollars when trying to tip it multiplies your order by the amount that you put in. If you love this place, maybe try not tipping (tip on something else when you get there if you want or bring cash) as a thought experiment and see if you still love it after. I used to love this place and now I’m never coming back.

I also want to note how ridiculous it is to charge $1.65 for oat milk. This is $.65 more than Colectivo, Sip of Hope, The Brewed, literally anywhere else. This place isn’t worth it. It’s good but not that good. Go to The Brewed, La Boulangerie, Sip of Hope, Sipping Turtle, New Wave or literally anywhere else. They will all suit you better and have...

Today, I stopped at Necessary and Sufficient Coffee, a grab and go coffee shop and eatery. There's no seating inside the small venue or outside, but if you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely stop by. I got there around 10:30AM, and the line was 8 people deep. But I was out with my meal in under 10 minutes. I asked for the most popular, sweet, and creamy Iced Coffee and got a Canela coffee with hints of honey and vanilla. I appreciated the dusting of cinnamon they sprinkled on top. I love cinnamon in my coffee. I also ordered a Ham and Cheese Morning Bun and was shocked when I opened the container and found a Ham and Cheese Pinwheel style sandwich. I've never seen a savory sandwich made in cinnamon roll style before. I'm a huge fan of toasted cheese, and this sandwich had plenty of that. But the real surprise was inside. Juicy, delicious ham, and stone ground mustard. Mmm, mmm, good! I wish there had been more mustard or at least a side of it because I love mustard, and the sandwich could have used the extra moisture. But as far as grab and go sandwiches, this one is unique and very good.

I wanted a chocolate chip cookie, but they didn't have any, or anything else chocolate. Their menu rotates, which can be both a blessing or a curse. But they did have Donuts, which I believe are only served on the weekends. They had blueberry, old-fashioned, and Red Velvet. I'm a sucker for old-fashioned donuts. The donut alone was worth the trip - light, moist, sweet, and rich. It perfectly rounded out breakfast with the last sips of my coffee.

The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating.

They use biodegradable utensils, which is definitely a plus.

Please note that they don't accept cash.

There is another location in Printer's Row at 728 S Dearborn St. It's bigger and offers dine-in and take out options. I'll try to go there within the next few weeks and tell you about it, but if you're in the neighborhood, ...