Variety Coffee Roasters — Restaurant in New York

After being a regular client who always enjoys visiting variety coffee today on 9/18/2023 I had the worst experience today when I was there from 7pm till closing. I started with a cappuccino and then proceeded to get another one where I pay with a $50, the barista with glasses that looks like a tomboy was the one behind the register. She then proceeds to give me two $20 and a $1 bill ( which I gave her as a tip) , I put it right away in my pocket and didn’t think off checking them because I always come here with cash and they have never given me a fake bill in return so there was no need to check it. I go sit down again then around 8:30 PM I go back to her to buy two lattes for my mom and sister to take home where I use one off the $20 that she gave me and she tells me she can’t take it because it’s fake. I tell her that it’s the one that she gave me just recently and she looks at me and says “ really “ as if she ain’t know that she did that. Then she followed up by saying I’m sorry but I can’t take it, which got me upset cause you’re the one that gave me this bill how are you going to do me like that when I’m the client if I was in her shoes I would respectfully take it back and fix the problem easily for the customer but she proceeds by saying “ if you just go to the bank and say it’s from here they will take it “ and I had to control myself because in the moment the only thing I was thinking was “ does this lady think I’m dumb “. So I then sit down and I explain to my girlfriend everything that just happened and she is in shock, I decided you know what it’s $20 I ain’t going to cause a scene and go back and forth with her this is a company where $20 ain’t nothing to them but the fact that it was a lot for her to replace and fix the situation was the messed up part because I know she was conscious off what she was doing because she ended the situation fast by saying “don’t worry tho I’ll give you the coffee for free “ which made me definitively know that she was the one that must off gotten scammed earlier in the day and wanted to get rid off it instead off having higher ups know that she got GOT! In the end I just hope that people that read this know that, that lady was willing to do that too me she’ll easily do it to another person that walks up in there. Finally, we were about to leave and she tells my girlfriend I’m very sorry about the $20 and that she was unaware that now a days people scam with $20. Which is unrealistic because variety wouldn’t hire people that are unprofessionally...

I’m a driver who mostly drives in this neighborhood. Some businesses or doormen know me by face. I use this location a few times per week. Sometimes the other location at Park Row. Most of the time I wash my hands before getting my coffee especially when the barista is busy with someone or with cleaning. Today around 7:10pm I walk it. The barista was busy with a customer so I decided to use the bathroom first. Besides it’s a time saving for me. He jumped out from behind his desk and stopped me saying that I can’t use the bathroom, I have to buy something first. I never saw him before: a very short guy (compare to me), kind of Hispanic or Native American with a strange face expression.(Like I took his lands. He doesn’t look like a barista at all, more like construction guy). I was shocked and asked him what does he mean and when he repeated his policy I explained him that I need a coffee but wanted to wash my hands first. That sounded very strange for him so I got my coffee (strange but I tipped him) , told him that all the people sitting there are customers like me and he can’t tell anyone what to do first or how to do it. Then I used the bathroom (just hand washing) and left the coffee shop with an unpleasant feeling. Too many idiots...

I live very local and went to this location to work remotely and saw an older couple getting up packing up their stuff. Waited a few feet away for them to clear their things so I wasn’t aggressively on top of them trying to snag the table. Everyone else there was working so I figured this was my one shot at a table. An employee of this coffee stop quite literally came from behind the coffee bar, side stepped me, cut me off, put her laptop down and walked away from the table not making eye contact with me or acknowledging the fact that she just blatantly cut me off and cut off what would have been a paying customer with a friend - another paying customer on the way. It would be one thing for another ‘customer’ to do this to me but for an employee to show so much disrespect is just not the best representation of this business. I’m incredibly disheartened by this situation and will be letting all of my UES girl friends know how I was treated here!...