Huxdotter Coffee — Restaurant in North Bend

I want to start off by saying this is my first time writing a negative review. I just can not fathom the horrible customer service I received for NO reason.

My best friend and I went to snoqualmie for a weekend get away. We decided to try Huxdotter on 3/31 and loves the breakfast burrito and coffee. We decided to go back today 4/1 on our way back home. We went through the drive thru and Connor took our order. He was unpleasant, short, arrogant, and rushed us out. My friend asked for sweetener in her iced coffee and it seemed as if he was bothered by it.. he said “ok I have sugar, raw sugar” and she said “no liquid please” and he said “ok so I have lots of syrup flavors”. Just so difficult.

Then when it was muy turn to order, I asked for a white latte with white coffee and 3/4 of the white coffee. Before I could even finish, he interrupted me and said “your total is..” and I said “can I do that with oat milk” and he said “glad I got that otherwise the baristas would’ve been upset to dump the milk out”.

When we got to the window I noticed that my coffee was not made with white coffee. I asked the window barista if it had white coffee and she said “no but I can totally remake that for you”. Great! I was happy, did not ask for my money back, still tipped 20% and gave back the original coffee they made, even after the window barista offered me to keep it.

The frustration came when the barista who re-made my coffee made the ugliest face expression and was clearly bothered by the fact that she had to make another 12oz latte. Then, Connor walked up behind the window barista and shouted “you know we would’ve figured this out back there” and made it a point that I was wrong when ordering and that he was right.

This window barista was so apologetic for his uncalled behavior and lack of customer service when I WAS NOT EVEN UPSET. I was just waiting for my drink to be remade. She pushed him away and immediately offered to refund me.

My best friend and I drove away in shock at what had happened. How clearly bothered the staff was that they had to remake a beverage… I hope this establishment practices better customer service, EVEN if the customer is upset. As someone who works in corporate for the largest coffee company in the world, I know what a customer experience looks like, and this was far from it . I will not...

I decided I had better update my rating with some context...

Summary:

Huxdotter Coffee is a North Bend tradition that took a huge risk a couple of years ago and shuttered its doors, as well as the doors of the aging carwash adjacent, leveled its existing coffee hut, and built a new building replete with a drive-through, interior cafe, and exterior seating. It was RISKY, but from an armchair quarterback's perspective, it would appear the risk paid off.

What they do well:

Huxdotter Coffee is one of several local drive-through coffee stands, and is in my top 2 in North Bend, alongside the operation across the freeway. The staff is consistently great at what they do, friendly, and grows more efficient every day.

The drinks are always hot, rarely if ever burnt or otherwise unsatisfactory, and they have a broad assortment of flavors, as well as pastries and other munchies. If they do mess up an order (it happened all of once for me and I go here frequently) they will FIX it with a SMILE. That's how it's done folks!

The cafe is a nice place to come work for a few hours, and there are plug-ins at quite a few of the tables. It would be nice if the center tables had plug-ins as well, but overall, if you want to meet with some friends, or plug in and work from your office away from the office, it's a great place to do this, which is something that North Bend hasn't really had in the past.

What they could improve:

Very little. If you haven't tried them out, I recommend that you do! Since they reopened their doors a few short months ago, they have re-hired quite a few friendly faces, and increased their overall staff. Their hiring and training appear to be well executed.

I think they plan to eventually put in a speaker/microphone outside by the menu, but for now they often send one of their employees out with a tablet to take orders, especially when the line is long. And boy do they move the line! If they hadn't implemented this solution, I suspect the line would be a bit of a drag as they are consistently busy, but since they have, I would reckon that on average I spend two to five minutes in line, up to about ten on a particularly busy morning. Not bad.

I would love to see Huxdotters take the next logical step and start roasting their own beans on the way to franchising...

I’m a “first time caller” and was very pleased with my experience at Huxdotter. The place has a comfy and spacious atmosphere. They had a parking lot and I also noticed a drive thru. Several upgrades beyond Starbucks in my humble opinion (sorry if that offends any Starbucks devotees). The Huxdotter server was kind and pleasantly patient helping me navigate a difficult decision (because I really blessed and a coffee wannabe-nerd). Cold brew Irish Cream or an Hochata latte??? I really love a good Horchata latte yet I also love the Irish Cream flavor, however I had never had a cold brew option like this.

My Hux-d. guide broken down her flavor experience of both options and it was clear she was suggesting I order the ☘️ Cream. So I did and it blew me away.

I also order the kids the Mount Si veggie breakfast burrito. It was solid.

If in North Bend or passing thru, I highly recommend and certainly hope for the opportunity to return and order the same thing and test for consistency.

I can’t speak for the quality of espresso and if blessed with another visit, I will also test that out.

HOT TIP: After getting your delicious coffee here, take a 4mins walk or 2min drive to the famous Twede’s Cafe (from Twin Peaks) and get a slice (or two) of their cherry pie to enjoy with your coffee libation. Pop in, enjoy scoping out that place, and order to go as there will probably be a line and you already have your coffee. 😀

HOT TIP PART 2!!! If headed east, take a 25mins(ish) drive to Franklin Falls trail head and hike to the marvelous waterfall (it’s a good 30mins hike - well worth it)

If not heading that direction and wanna enjoy more North Bend, drive 8-12min to either Little Si or Mount Si for a beautiful trek thru nature. We found parking to be pretty easy (road is a little bumpy...