The Bean Gallery — Restaurant in New Orleans

Yesterday I was very exhausted so I couldn't write this review. I am 65 years old, chronically depressed, disabled with CFS plus dizziness (inner ear + frontal near eyes). But this young man managing this place the night before last night does not consider my age or condition a reason for them to interact with me and my son in a respectful, positive manner. This young woman treated my son badly so my son had words with her. She'd given me problems several weeks ago when I asked her if she could put more steamed milk in my coffee. She goes "that's how you told me to fix it" and she wasn't being very nice. I told her no that's not how I asked you to fix it and I explained how I asked her to fix it. The interaction with her was upsetting. So tonight when my son approached the counter to order, she is busy tapping her finger for the longest time on the machine. My son thought she was busy, but it turned out she was not busy at all - she was tapping on the machine for nothing. My son stands there waiting for several minutes for her to take his order. In the meantime, I'd switched seats 3 times while I waited quite some time. And I heard her giving my son problems, so I approached the counter to see what was going on. She charged my son $7 for his Chai Latte iced tea since she'd fixed it to weak but insisted on charging him another $1 for a little bit more Chai tea mix. And first she made him a hot Chai and he informed her that he ordered an iced Chai and she goes "No you didn't...". Not long after we sit down, the young man manager informs us that we are no longer allowed in "The Bean Gallery" again. And he wasn't being nice about it plus he goes "Go order your Chai tea elsewhere". Furthermore, I told him of my conditions, and he goes in so many words "That has nothing to do with how we do business (or similar words) with you." Me and my son ended up hurrying for the bus but due to my taking up time trying to explain things to that coffee shop manager, we missed the bus. I had to walk quite a ways because of that. I usually am in a wheelchair due to my dizziness and fatigue but that night I decided to try to walk. It was difficult. It left me very exhausted. After the awful way they treated us, we would not want to come back to this coffee shop anyhow. It hurt the way they treated us and told us not to...

So, I have been coming to the Bean Gallery for around five years now. I love the ambiance and the food/drinks are honestly some of the best quality of any cafe I’ve been to in NOLA. That being said, for the last two years, I’ve noticed that the bedside manner of a few of the employees has gone out the window. The reason I haven’t written a review before, is that nothing truly abhorrent has ever happened. I was never yelled at or berated, but I’ve been made to feel a bit uncomfortable by behavior that I can really only describe as catty. Being given judgemental looks and a snide remark by a barista when I said feta rather than goat cheese, or not receiving any sort of greeting when at the register and a deadpan stare. What really prompted me to write this review was when I had ordered a drink and a sandwich. The drink came out very quickly but I was waiting for about fifteen minutes for my sandwich before deciding to go to the register to ask about it. Due to the line, I ended up waiting about thirty minutes for this sandwich (which I really wasn’t too upset about), but when I got to the front and mentioned how long I had been waiting, rather than receiving any apology or even a polite acknowledgement, I was told that the ticket machine had gone down and this was why I had waited so long (effectively saying that my order had been passed over because the printer went down). The way in which this was said made me feel as though I had inconvenienced her that I told her. I understand that this isolated incident really isn’t anything to worry about, but it's just felt like the last few times I’ve come, I’ve been treated like a chore to even acknowledge. I empathize because I was a barista for four years, and it truly isn’t as easy as a lot of people make it out to be, but when I come in with a smile on my face, asking about their days or trying to just be friendly, I feel like I am an inconvenience for them. I don’t write this to try and worsen anyone’s day but to just ask the employees to reflect upon how they treat their customers, and to not see every person as an adversary. It brings a negative energy to the store that makes me not want to come anymore. This is all said with peace and love, and I hope each employee has a...

It's quite telling when the person who took your order the day before (& you're a first time visitor), reacts with disdain when you ask for suggestions & responds with a "we're backed up with orders so let me know when you're ready" & walks off! As if, 1. I even know the menu & 2. Immediately after telling her I ate 3 different things & ordered two different drinks yesterday but want to try something new. I wouldn't complain because ai know the business & have been involved with quite a few but, she was patient & forthrightly suggestive with the next few guests so, given I was extremely polite, I guess I have to be something other than a conservative black male professional to get the same treatment because, by evidence, my demeanor & multiple purchases in a short period of time got me nowhere.

Note: A lot of patrons seem to snub each other here but the down to earth ones are exceptionally amicable & great to encounter, including the bulk of the staff. Quite helpful & exuding great energy! I'm old enough to get over it quickly & am use to the modern business model of getting mad at the customer who writes these critiques, even when lucid & non-vitriolic, instead of getting better yet... I have to be honest about the details of my visits. Cafes & restaurants need to remember, we all have food & coffee machines at home... We go for service & ambiance. At least in Las Vegas & WeHo, were we operate, the excuse is that the people can't be blamed for not knowing "Southern...