Commonplace Coffee — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

My first time here and likely my last. A young barista with close cropped hair “greeted” me with palpable negativity. I ordered a bag of coffee beans and a scone. I always tip well but not for outright negative service; is it even service to hand me items over the counter with no prep? I digress:

As I took my beans and scone to go, the barista frowned even harder for my lack of a tip and lectured me about my free coffee “I asked for” with the beans. She said, “Remember when I asked you if you wanted the free coffee? …and you said ‘Yes’”. This conversation did not happen. Why is this barista so angry? Beyond frustrated and annoyed with the barista, I said, “Okay” then grabbed my “free” coffee and got the heck out of there! (I rarely drink coffee).

It is possible I offended the barista by not having a mask on as she did. If so, I apologize. I am triple vaccinated. I am new to town. And I walked a few miles round trip for those coffee beans at the request of a family member. My advice to the grumpy barista is perhaps to give folks the benefit of the doubt before treating them poorly.

Edit: In response to the reply; other than two seated patrons in the cafe who were sipping their coffee, I was the only customer. I will note that the scone I ordered was above average. Also, after asking around about the grumpy barista, I learned that other regulars of this cafe have not encountered her. They all said that a male barista and a female barista with long hair/braids are both wonderful people and a pleasure to do business with.

Bump from one star to two, for the good scone and thoughtful reply...

Not impressed. I am a fan of the Commonplace coffee chain but my recent experience at this location makes me question that affection. I am greeted by a kind barista who, after I ask, informs me there are no breakfast items available (at 10:00am). OK. I say "that's a shame" and quickly receive a glare from the back-oh-house barista in red glasses. Fine. I am directed to the three bakery items in a display case. I order the blueberry muffin and an iced latte. Sadly, the blueberry muffin was extremely stale. I sit down and work for approx. 45 minutes until the wifi cuts out. I go up to request a to-go cup and ice for my latte so I can leave. I wait in line behind one customer for 6 minutes. When I get to the register, the back of house barista barely acknowledges me. "We charge for that" says the off-put barista in the red glasses. Ok. I ask if I can have a cup to take my $5+ latte with me. "Fine." she responds and hands me a cup. "May I have a lid?" I am handed one and I promptly exit.

2 stars (instead of one) because the latte was the only thing consistent with my typical Commonplace Coffee experiences: well-made.

I hope this location begins to follow the example set by CC's other cafes. I won't be...

This is the first review I think I've ever left anywhere. I am at Commonplace on Penn Ave staying caffeinated while doing school work three days a week give or take. 5 out of 5 stars are for the staff at this location. It is absolutely unreal to me how many people completely ignore the bold print MASK REQUIRED sign on the front door. When asked politely by whoever is behind the counter if they have one, they never do. Over and over I've watched the staff demonstrate saint-like patience with some awfully snide and indignant customers. I don't know how they do it. At the very least, testing positive for covid means losing a whole paycheck when you don't have the luxury of working from home. If you want businesses to stay open and serve you, the least you can do is show a little decency and not breathe on the person taking your order. That's all I have to say about that. Thanks to everyone behind the counter for your friendly banter, lovely latte art, and excellent DJing. Y'all...