Brew Coffee House — Restaurant in Pella

Shopping in Pella today & stopped at the Brew for lunch. We ordered our lunch & coffees & I requested a cup of tap water. I was told they don’t do that & I would need to buy a bottle of water which I did as I had no other choice. Our salads were brought to our table & as I had ordered plain coffee I carried it to our table. Salads were good with lots more lettuce than other ingredients even though my sister had requested just a small amount because of some stomach issues. No biggie. Dressing was separate in a small container with what looked like about 2 tablespoons. We hadn’t been given our waters so I went to the counter & was told to get them from the cooler. I said it would have been helpful if we had been told that. My sister didn’t have her coffee yet & noticed a cup on the far side of the bar. No one had called her name & it had been sitting there for at least 10 minutes. There were 3 girls behind the counter talking, not many customers but they obviously didn’t care that she had not gotten the coffee. There was so much lettuce in my salad the little cup I was given was not enough. I went to the counter & asked for another & the girl went to the cash register! I said Are you telling me that you are going to charge me for more dressing on a $10 salad? She said Yes. I couldn’t believe it. I just walked back to my table. I saw her speaking to another of the girls who just waved her hand as in Whatever. And they want Tips for this kind of service?? I will never return...

Cute coffee shop. Loved the decorations, there is fun room for improvement, though :)

Music: very loud, upbeat, and random. They are just choosing a radio station and playing it, instead of choosing the “right vibe” (which could be jazz, R&B, etc). I believe this is important because there were 2 people who seemed to want to relax at the coffee shop - I can only imagine how relaxed they were while drinking their coffee due to the loud atmosphere.

Attention: the baristas were formidable, but one of them was glued to his phone and he didn’t notice when I was ready to order - he was super nice though, just lacked awareness.

Work-friendly: The venue only has 3-5 places with outlets. My friend and I had to just randomly seat somewhere with no outlets, hoping our computers wouldn’t die at some point because everywhere else was busy.

Actionable items: Music: Look up “coffee shop” playlists on Spotify that suits the vibe you are looking for instead of playing radio stations at random. Lower the volume too, for a cozy and relaxing atmosphere :)

Attention: I know it’s tough to say “don’t use your phone” but perhaps remind the baristas to be more aware of customers around them :) Pro tip: reading a book looks way nicer than someone watching TikTok videos haha

Work-friendly: Add more outlets. This will attract more people to stay for longer = more coffee = $$$...

Each time I have went in this place with my husband I was ignored. The same girl was there each time and all her attention was on my husband and his order. It was like I wasnt standing there with him.She is way to over friendly with him each time we have come in.I get these girls are working towards tips but this girl needs to chill a bit. I dont feel comfortable at this place so I will no longer go.in it. When men come in with wife,s gf,s they need to be acknowledged as well. Even if they happen not to be placing an order. I usually encourage my husband to leave tips but not here lately. Will stick to coffee connections in knoxville where everyone is made to feel welcomed.And they have the best hot choc unlike brew coffee house. Theirs is watery and doesnt taste...