Joe & The Juice — Restaurant in New York

I come to this location regularly to order juice, but what happened today really bothered me. There were two girls in front of me in line who didn’t order anything—they just came up and asked for water. The staff gave them two large plastic cups with ice water, completely free, no questions asked.

Then it was my turn. I ordered my usual juice and asked for a cup of water. The person at the register looked at me like it was a strange request. I pointed toward the girls who had just received water, and he hesitated before saying “okay”—but then he tried to charge me for a shot I didn’t ask for. When I questioned it, he removed the charge, but the whole interaction already felt uncomfortable.

When I went to the counter to pick up my juice, I asked the other staff member for an ice water. He handed me a tiny paper cup. I politely asked for the same type of plastic cup with a lid that the girls got, and he immediately said, “We don’t give those.” I told him I had just seen two people receive them, and he acted like I was imagining things. I even pointed out the exact staff member who gave them out, and still he denied it.

At the very least, instead of making me feel like I was being difficult or lying, they could’ve apologized or explained nicely—something like, “Sorry, we normally don’t give those cups, but here you go this time.” That would’ve been a simple gesture to make things right. But they didn’t care at all. No apology. No effort to show respect or fairness.

I’m a regular, paying customer. It’s upsetting to see two people get special treatment without even making a purchase, while I get denied, questioned, and talked down to just for asking for the same thing.

To be honest, it also felt a bit discriminatory. The girls spoke Spanish with the employee and were helped with no issue. I received clearly worse service because I don’t share same background as them. It made me feel singled out and disrespected.

If you’re going to serve the public, everyone should be treated equally—especially loyal customers. I’ve always supported this place, but after today, I’m seriously...

I first tried Joe & The Juice in Europe years ago and fell in love, but have yet to have the same experience in the states. Of the various locations I’ve been to, this location ranks pretty low in my books. I’ve been a few times and each time I get more and more disappointed. It has just become another Starbucks with better ingredients and healthier varieties.

One of the main differences between the European locations vs the states that I’ve observed, besides the service, is the quality of the espresso drinks. The espresso shots pulled are never up to par as the quality in Europe. The shots either taste burnt or pulled too quickly. There’s also the difference in the quality put into the milk steaming. On today’s visit, I ordered a flat white. As a former barista, I can tell from the weight of the cup if the milk is steamed properly for the type of espresso drink I ordered. Upon picking up my flat white with vanilla milk I instantly knew it was not it. I was also hesitant when ordering it too—my receipt was marked as a latte rather than a flat white. The drink wouldn’t even pass for a latte. There was ZERO foam of any kind in the drink. A flat white is notable for its microfoam. The drink I received might as well been a milk that was thrown in the microwave and warmed up and poured into a cup. I’ve ordered vanilla milk from other Joe & the Juice locations, and I’m pretty certain additional vanilla syrup was added to my drink as it was ridiculously sweet. The lack of attention to detail is horrendous. Additionally the butter croissant I ordered had a foreign black speck, the size of a rice grain. I have no idea what it was—could’ve been a grain of rice or even rodent fecal matter, but it just goes to speak further on the lack of quality check in even the bakery items.

On previous visits, rush hour was a mess. And quality assurance lacked as always. I’ll give other J&TJ locations another go, but may be a while before I return to...

Last Friday, I went to Joe & The Juice with my niece and nephew for a hot chocolate. Though it was delicious, and the place was well maintained, I was shocked at how I was treated by staff. My first interaction was with a tall, thin man with a goatee. I approached him, and in the midst of saying "hello," he raised his hand as to silence me and pointed me to someone else, without even looking at me. I approached the cashier and ordered my drinks, and then told her that I was offended by this man's behavior. I then watched her tell the guy what I said. He looked at me and rolled his eyes, then told another male staff member what happened, who laughed and said "white people." I understand that maybe these guys have been through something with other white people in their lives, but I could not believe they took it there with me. I couldn't believe they did this in front of my niece and nephew. I complained about rudeness, but this had nothing to do with race until they made it that way. Sadly, what they don't know is that I am a civil rights attorney who represents marginalized people every day. Very disappointed and will not return after being a...