Coffee Connections of Hilliard — Restaurant in Norwich Township

Today (6/29/2025) was only my second visit to Coffee Connections. I ordered food for the first time and got the Breakfast Sammy. The girl at the counter kindly went over the available bagel options. I chose the pretzel bagel because it sounded unique and different from the usual.

When I received my order, the bagel looked just like a plain one. I went back and asked the same employee if it was really a pretzel bagel, and she confidently said yes. Still unsure, I looked up Bear’s Bagels to see what their pretzel bagels are supposed to look like. What I found made it clear that what I was given was not a pretzel bagel. It lacked the color, texture, and appearance of one entirely.

What really disappointed me was not just the mistake, but how the employee doubled down on it. Instead of acknowledging that there may have been a mix-up, she stuck to her answer even though it was obviously incorrect. Mistakes are understandable, but refusing to own up to them is not.

On a positive note, the coffee is good. I love that they roast their own beans and not use Hemisphere or Crimson Cup, which is subjectively not good coffee, like 90% of the coffee shops around Columbus. However, based on this experience, the service needs improvement. A little honesty and accountability would go a long way in making customers feel...

There's indoor and outdoor seating, and they indoor apparently also goes upstairs. AC is brisk, which is nice on hot days. They have guest WiFi.

The first day I went I was super impressed with the employee working (a dude), and with the adorable atmosphere. The second day, I was pretty annoyed by the girl working because not only was she slow (new?), but she also kept striking up conversations with everyone in her vicinity which slowed her down even more. I remember working as a barista, and at first it's a lot to take in, sure, but it took ten minutes for my iced latte to pop up, which is really just way too long. It's not a complicated drink. I was going to set up and try to work while I was there, but I had left something at home so I had to pack up--but while I was packing, another customer complained about her chai being lukewarm (new barista strikes again!). It's really not a huge deal, hence why I only removed one star, but it definitely is worth a star to have timely, trained, and pro baristas on staff. It's a tough gig. Otherwise, this place is perfectly lovely....

This has a home style casual atmosphere. It's basically 2 small "homes" with a patio in between. The first one has coffee and a sitting area, and a few breakfast items (not sure if there is lunch or dinner). For some reason there is a gift shop of sorts with mugs, clothing, jewelery, inspirational items. Across the patio, is the second area. The second "home" is a 2 story with a sitting area downstairs for large groups and a play area upstairs. The play area has a cute puppet show area. There is a baby changing station and a few books and toys for different ages. It also has tables and so on. The patio looks moderately sized and I believe in spring it will be a nice place to relax. I wish there was a larger breakfast menu and table service or to the other "house". I also wish the play area was downstairs, it's hard to carry a car seat + baby+ diaper bag upstairs, also grandma's knees can't do those stairs. But overall, I believe this is a nice casual place for playdates, informal business meetings, and...