SOCIAL Coffeehouse & Cocktail Bar — Restaurant in Leonardtown

First experience: 3 stars food, 3 stars service

I went to Social the day after Mother's Day, and overall, had a good experience. They seem to still be getting their footing in the new location, though.

The decor and atmosphere inside was nice, and love the seating outside! They had plenty of tables, chairs, and couches outside to lounge on. I went around 12:30pm on a Monday, and it was quite busy! It felt like they were understaffed. Though the staff had a lot going on, they kept a calm and friendly demeanor.

I got a decaf cappucino with oat milk, which was very good! I've had a number of bad decaf coffee/espresso beverages, so I'm always impressed with a cafe that can actually make a good one! For lunch, I got the pesto chicken salad, which came on sourdough bread with lettuce and tomato. The chicken salad was very tasty, but the portion size was skimpy. I was expecting the sandwich to be more filled, but the chicken salad was more like a thin spread. If it was on thinner and smaller pieces of bread, it would work better. But that sourdough was too large and thick for such a small portion.

With the sandwich, they gave me a choice of chips or fries. I went with chips. They were delicious, but I was surprised that they were salt n vinegar! Fortunately, that's a flavor I love, but I was expecting them to be regular salted chips. Salt n vinegar is a strong flavor, and it's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm certainly not complaining and happily ate all of mine, but they might want to give a heads-up to folks ordering. I could see some people being unhappy with receiving that flavor of chip.

I certainly understood that they were busy, but I will say that it took a long time for my order to come out. It took about 40 minutes, which felt like a long time for a chicken salad sandwich, and no one stopped by to check on me or let me know how much longer it would be. I wasn't upset by this, but I did start to get a little antsy and wondered if my order had gotten lost. If someone had stopped by to check in, that would've helped the time to feel a little shorter and put me at ease a bit more. I would've asked someone, but I wasn't sure who to go to. The front counter had a long line, so I didn't want to disturb them. And I only saw one food runner come by a couple of times. I tried to make eye contact and flag them down, but they were very busy and focused on the other tables they were tending to.

Though it wasn't a perfect experience, I do think it's worth going back. With the location being brand new, I'm sure they have some kinks to workout in their business flows. Though maybe a little rocky, I think they have a great start going in this new location. Their breakfast menu looks so good, so I want to try that next, and I'm intrigued by the cocktail menu! I will be back soon!

Second experience:

Changed my rating after having a better second experience! Went this past Sunday for breakfast. Got there around 10am. It was busy, but not overwhelming. Staff was very friendly. I got a decaf latte with oatmilk and coconut flavoring. It was delicious! Not too sweet, which I like. My friend got the S'mores frappe, which was also delicious! For food, I got the Social Classic, which was egg, bacon, and provolone on a croissant with an old bay aioli. Definitely want to get that again! And my friend got the BLT on a bagel, which was good. And we didn't have to wait long to receive our drinks and food. Looking forward to more breakfasts...

Negatives: The only burger on the menu claims to be flamed broiled and at $15, we were expecting juicy, handmade grill-marked burgers. What they served are gray-colored, perfectly uniform, pre-made frozen burgers. They drown the burger in Dijon mustard as well, so if you like that taste, that's all you will taste.

The chicken bacon ranch flatbread is covered in Hidden valley ranch, if you like that kind of store bought taste, this is the flatbread for you. Also $15.

The restaurant dominates the corner of Leonardtown square with outdoor seating and even along the road. But out of the 10 or so tables available, there was ONE umbrella at one table. How do you have outdoor seating in the middle of the square and each table isn't equipped with an umbrella, in the summer, in southern Maryland? Everyone eating outside was miserable, especially during peak sunset. Blinding.

There are two street trash cans outside this restaurant. Since its grand opening, these trash cans are constantly overflowing with trash. Whether they are the responsibility of the town or Social, as a restaurant owner, you'd think it would be important and mandatory to change those cans 3 times a day. Why would you want overflowing trash in front of your restaurant?

If you're thinking of stopping for some morning coffee with your family, don't plan to bring the family here. Even though there are plenty of seats and booths, there are zero high chairs and they are proud of that fact.

Front of house workers/cashiers are miserable. Imagine working in the square at the newest, hottest spot in town and not smiling or greeting customers.

Decor: Why are the names of the towns incomplete and spelled wrong on the map on the wall? It's so strange. Why is there a random face of a girl on the wall? Maybe add the context to the wall, if there is some? The tables and floors inside are coated with epoxy/resin and are incredibly scratched and look awful. It's been opened a month maybe?

Positives: You have one incredible female food runner. She should train everyone on that staff. Polite, friendly, skilled, helpful. Give her a raise and use her as an example. You know exactly who I'm talking about because she shines and stands out above the rest of your staff.

Social spends a lot of time and effort on their social media. It's a shame that same effort isn't put into the actual experience here. It's night and day different from what...

I have been meaning to make this review. I went to this establishment to meet with some friends. We ordered a few things; one of them was the nachos. These not only came burned but also chunked all together in the middle, not being able to separate them or even eat them. They got attached to the paper they put them on, and we were all eating paper until we noticed it. We expressed the matter to the gentleman who brought us the nachos, which cost 15 dollars. He said, "I am sorry." Did not offer to make them again or to fix the matter. And then he walked away. Then we saw another employee also informed of the matter, and they stated this is how they make them and also walked away. By the end of our gathering, a female employee who was picking up stuff from our table—mind you, we spent hours here—was also informed of the poor service. This one she didn't care at all about. I can ensure we spend at this establishment more than $120.00 dollars all together. Between the crab dip, which was good, the flatbread pizza, which was not great, the French fries, and all the drinks my friends ordered. I will suggest the owners of this establishment teach their staff to care for the service they provide to clients. A place can only be better when the staff cares, as they represent the facility. If you know that the stuff you brought to a table doesn't look well, and it is all burned… it shouldn't have been brought at all. When nachos are made, you don't just dump a bunch of cheese in the middle, the chicken, and the nachos. The platter needs to be spread, and all the ingredients as well, so it can look good and not a mess. This is not the first time we have come and ordered from this establishment. These young kids need to be retrained. Someone needs to come and teach them how to do things properly, especially the personnel inside the kitchen. The price of the nachos for what you get is a lot for the poor service and product you get delivered. Also, that flatbread—you guys need to improve. I no longer recommend this place to eat. I rather recommend the Botanical place, which has amazing coffee, and their food service is great. And no, I am not affiliated with them. We are just working people who met with colleagues for a quality time. I like supporting local business but not if their quality is bad. My friends and I won't be coming...