Purple Waves — Restaurant in New York

I asked to purchase a coffee. The lady who helped me was mega rude from the beginning of the transaction. I was asked for a small coffee and she kept saying "what kind of coffee" over and over again and was looking visibly annoyed. Eventually she asked if I wanted espresso or drop and I clarified drip. They let me know to have a to go coffee I would need to give them my phone number and cc information. The reason being, they use a reusable cup service and want you to return the cup later. So that's cool. They're trying something different and something sustainable.

I'm not going to bring the cup back. I'll just recycle it but it's just not going to work out for me to carry a cup all day long with me. That part is no biggie. I let them know I'm happy to pay for the cup how much will it be if I don't return it. The cashier says they don't know and it's a contract I'd be signing with a third party provider.... Now this is the crazy part. I end up looking it up and the third party company will charge you $5 if you don't return the plastic cup and this is not talked about anywhere in the transaction. The employee didn't even know and I think they might be a manager here.

To round out my experience I offered to pay cash for the coffee and I was told they would only take exact change and nothing less (for a purchase that was $4.08) so literally they wouldn't take $4 but they would take $5. She then says "actually you know what we don't accept cash plenty of businesses are cash only."

I walked out literally having money and no coffee. Did I push the employee too much? Yes of course. I could have just walked out on the unknown charge discussion but the initial interaction was just so toxic that I had to keep pushing a bit.

I haven't experienced service this rude in a while. Clearly she was having a bad day or someone else was supposed to cover register or something. I've been here a few times and never had an experience like this before but I'll remember...

Stopped by after having this spot recommended to me by an acquaintance. I was looking forward to it but felt less than impressed.

Service: Upon entering purple waves I stopped by the register to ask if I should order up front, the person behind the counter said I could grab a seat and that someone would stop by and take my order. It was roughly a 15 minute wait before the server circulating the space approached to offer us a menu. I took note of the fact that 2 patrons came in after us and were attended to first, and another patron directly next to us was also attended to before we were seen to.

When we were able to place our orders only the coffees were brought and not the small plate. I assumed that the waiter had perhaps misunderstood my request and did not place the order however when I stood up to pay (again because the service was lacking) they attempted to charge me for the plate.

Atmosphere: The space was nice enough but several of the tables were left un-serviced with used dishes or incomplete cutlery.

Overall for the amount of staff I saw walking around he business the level of disorganization seemed...

Easily the best cafe in Manhattan. The food: Extraordinary. Take everything you know about cafe food and throw it out. Head Chef Ella reimagines every dish and combines ingredients you never thought to put together to create dishes you'll remember forever and keep coming back for.

The service: Amazing. They go above and beyond to make you feel at home, coming out from behind the counter to check in on you, make sure you have everything you need, and make every accommodation you need.

The drinks: Yum!! Drew, their Head Barista, consistently puts out one of a kind menu items that are perfect for every season. He's also clearly fostered a culture of innovating because every time I come back one of the other baristas is talking about a new drink they created.

All of this + it's 100% sustainable and carbon neutral. I can't say enough good things about this place. I'm sitting in here right now and I came here from the airport before going home because I needed the Lox Toast in my system.

You will absolutely...