Rochester Brewing & Roasting Company — Restaurant in Kansas City

This coffee shop is my absolute favorite! My husband and I have been coming here since it opened, and we’re regulars. We always have the best service, and we love the baristas, well, most of them. I’m actually good friends with two of them, and I’ve met a few from other coffee shops that they used to work at. Overall, they have some really friendly and talented baristas. Unfortunately, we had a not-so-great experience the last time we were there. I get it if you’re having a bad day, but I’ve worked in customer service for 15 years, and I don’t like to write reviews, but my experience this past Wednesday was just plain awful. My husband’s mom was in town, and we really wanted to take her to Rochester. We had been talking about it for a while, and we’re regulars there, so we ordered our usual drinks. My husband goes back and forth between a latte and a cappuccino, and I usually mix it up and try something seasonal. My husband ordered a latte, and I ordered a nitro chai. He told me that his drink tasted off and wasn’t good, so he was going to throw it away. Unfortunately, he struggles with some anxiety about telling someone if his drink or food was bad or not correct. So, I decided to approach the barista, Sage, and ask if it was possible to have a remake of my latte. I waited patiently in line, hoping for assistance. I politely asked if it was okay to have the latte remade, and Sage, I believe her name was, seemed a bit confused. She asked me what was wrong, and I explained that my husband had mentioned that the latte tasted off. He said the milk was too runny and not steamed or creamy enough. I wasn’t sure about the rest of the latte, but I didn’t want to press her further.

Sage suggested that my husband should have ordered a cappuccino instead. I know the difference between the two, and he’s well aware of it. However, Sage insisted that I go ask him what else was wrong with the latte. So, I left the latte on the counter and went to verify the issue.

When I returned, my husband was embarrassed that I had to come back. Sage seemed to think he didn’t know what he was talking about and made it seem like the latte was actually great. She even suggested that he should have gotten something else.

Feeling a bit frustrated and embarrassed, I decided to let her know that the taste of the latte was off and that the milk wasn’t steamed long enough or creamy enough. Sage seemed to think there was something actually wrong with the batch of beans or something. She removed the latte that I had sat down and didn’t seem to want to remake it. She insisted that we pay for something he’d like instead. I understand that, but at this point, the whole situation had become quite a hassle, and it felt rude to my mother-in-law. Her first experience was a no and she works in customer service as well and would rather go somewhere else in the future.

Despite Sage’s insistence, they did remake the latte. However, it still felt bad, even after they had made it. My husband, though, said that it was actually made better chose to drink it fast and leave earlier than intended. He even politely thanked them and wished them a great day after we left. Also there was another barista there and she typically isn’t that friendly or even if we smile at her she chooses not to smile back (which is okay) during the whole process she was right there and chose to just not say anything. Again, our experience sucked this past Wednesday evening. I hope this could motivate them if they see it to be a little friendlier to the next person who may get an unexpected bad latte. We tip every time and we tipped this past time. Anyways I wish...

I am visiting KC for the first time and needed to get some work done while in the area. I was super excited to visit this coffee shop after seeing it highly recommended on Reddit as a great place to work and enjoy a coffee, but unfortunately my experience wasn’t good. While the latte was tasty, the customer service was abysmal, and the wifi was extremely slow. The woman behind the counter (cute with short hair and many piercings) was rude and off-putting. I heard her be unfriendly to the customer in front of me, but I thought maybe he wasn’t being great and she was just mirroring him. But nope, I walked up with a smile and said ‘good morning’ and literally received a blank, annoyed stare in return. It was so unexpected and weird that it threw me off and made me feel like I needed to hurry up. She essentially ‘hmph’d’ her way through the entire transaction and made me feel incredibly awkward. I was going to order food but couldn’t work up the nerve to ask any questions, so I stopped with just the latte. I don’t write this review lightly, as I have built my entire career around being a small business owner/manager and I know how important reviews are. But if I found out one of my employees was treating customers this way, I would want to know immediately. The wifi isn’t a huge deal and would never cause me to leave a review like this, but I figured I might as well mention it. Totally disappointing experience - turned my Sunday morning from something I was looking forward to into an...

Coffee and Beer - The Perfect Concept.

Visiting Rochester was such a wonderful experience. You can find parking along the street or around back under the overpass.

The atmosphere is great. During the day there is plenty of natural light from their wall-to-wall front windows. In the evening, the bar feels warm and inviting. There is plenty of tables and space so you don't have to battle for a place to work or sit with your friends. They do have free WiFi. The space also has event space for private events that is open to the public when not booked.

Let's talk about the coffee. There is no better cup of coffee in Kansas City. Their in house roasted beans translate to some of the best coffee to come out of the Midwest. Seriously, go here the next time you want coffee or need to work on a project.

Their beer is soooo good. The IPA is so easy drinking, the sours are perfect. They even have some really good meads available. Their head brew master has won several regional competitions and it shows in the beer. Come grab a beer here.

The staff and owners are super friendly and helpful. They are even willing to show you their Brew room if...