Coffee Monster — Restaurant in New York

I am deeply saddened how low this place has come. It was one of the best hangout spots in Flushing before the pandemic hit, and it still has a chance to be that. However, the extremely poor service this past week from nearly all the workers there has left myself and my friends with a sick feeling in our stomachs. The first incident occurred in the afternoon. Upon entering, the girl at the front counter did not even acknowledge our presence. Forget about even the simplest greetings you get from strangers on the street, this person ignored us and kept staring into space. After getting her attention and ordering, we went out to the outdoor seating area and waited. 15 minutes later, she comes out the door and says our order is inside. Now, don't get me wrong. It may sound like I'm being a stickler, but when you pay nearly $50 for shaved ice, the least a person that is hired to carry out a customer service job is to bring out the order to you. After I went in and came back with the order, my friends were saying how she had a rag on her to pretend as though she was wiping the other table, but as soon as I went in the store she stopped and went back in. Why couldn't she just bring out the order to us instead of acting to do work? I decided to give this place the benefit of the doubt, not to demonize the whole place due to one bad apple. However, near the SAME INCIDENT happened but this time at 10 PM. We entered, but this time the front desk girl was educated on social cues and gave a nice hello, but the one that was making the shaved ice had a very rude behavior. I requested strawberry shaved ice as a base and all she did was put the strawberry liquid on the bottom of the cup, leaving the whole shaved ice as regular. I feel ripped off now paying extra for all that and also leaving a tip. But, lesson learned, my friends and I will never come back to this place and will not recommend anyone...

How to sell & make "regular" hot coffee (in a reusable cup provided by customer): Charge customer. Take money. Give change. Take customer's cup. Undo lid.  Pour hot coffee in cup. Add sugar. Add milk. Screw on lid.  Give cup back to customer. end of sale.

How coffee monster sells and make "regular" hot coffee (in a reusable cup provided by customer): Charge customer for (more expensive) ICED coffee.  Examine the cup. Take money. Give change.  Fill the cup with ice.  Be reminded that customer wanted hot coffee.  Get flustered.  Throw out ice.  Take out a disposable cup.  Pour milk.  Froth the milk for full minute.  Pour in coffee.  Add sugar.  Pour the content into the reusable cup. Throw out the used disposable cup.  When asked, tell customer that yes they did over charge the customer by charging for iced coffee.  Fiddle with POS system.  When asked, answer we have to void the charge then recharge, figure out the difference. {Nasty comment made only in my mind}.  Fiddle with POS system.  Call coworker.  Fiddle with POS system.  Call second coworker. Frustrate customer enough so customer leaves without waiting and leaves you the difference as "tip".  End of sale.

It took 9 FULL minutes to make 1 cup of coffee (made a call at 6:39 pm to get coffee order.  left at 6:48 pm).  Got in car.  took a sip.  Tastes like burnt milk. No.  Never again. Go to coffee factory...

I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with the service I received today at your location.

As a regular customer who has frequently ordered via phone for pick-up, I was quite surprised by the response I received today. Due to limited parking availability outside, I once again called in to place an order — a method I have used many times before without issue.

However, the staff member who answered the phone questioned why I wasn’t coming inside to order, and responded with an unprofessional and disrespectful tone. I would like to ask: Does your shop no longer support advance phone orders? Are customers not allowed the freedom to choose whether to order in-store or via phone, especially when circumstances (like parking) make in-store ordering inconvenient?

I found the staff member’s attitude extremely rude and unacceptable. If someone is not satisfied with their job, perhaps a different role would be more suitable — but under no circumstance is it acceptable to raise their voice at a customer.

As someone who has supported your business consistently, I hope this matter will be taken seriously and that you will remind your team of the importance of professional, respectful...