The Alley — Restaurant in Quincy

I was very suprised by a new ordering system. They've introduced kiosks to take orders, but it seems to be poorly implemented. There was a couple in front of me, leisurely scrolling through the menu at the kiosk, and despite the store being empty, I had to wait in line simply because they were taking their time.

I thought I could speed up the process by ordering at the cash register, but I was told it’s cash only. It’s 2024—everyone uses cards! It feels very unfair to force customers to use a kiosk just because they don’t have cash on hand.

The kiosks may help when it’s busy, but it shouldn’t create more bottlenecks when it’s not. This new system definitely needs to be rethought, as it’s just causing more inconvenience rather than efficiency.

Response to owner: Thank you for your detailed response and clarification. I just wanted to clarify that when I asked your staff about the cash-only policy, it was because I saw a sign at the register stating "cash only." Your staff confirmed that if I wanted to use a card, I would need to use the kiosk. I did notice a few seated customers, but the store didn’t appear as busy as it usually is. There were only two staff members working behind the counter, so perhaps that contributed to the feeling of busyness from your end. The fact that the couple ahead of me took a while to complete their order highlights how the kiosk can potentially slow down the ordering line during busy times. My suggestion would be to allow orders at both the kiosk and the cash register (cash and card), which might help balance the flow and improve efficiency. Thank you for suggesting online ordering. When the store first opened, I tried using it, but it wasn’t available at the time. I’m glad to hear it’s now an option. I hope my feedback is taken constructively and that it can help improve the experience for others. Looking forward to seeing how...

Came in at 7:50pm on 10-17-24. Was waiting in line to order. The cashier (male) was talking to a customer. I didn’t mind waiting, but it turned out that the girl customer was more than a customer (maybe a friend?).

Waited for a solid 5-7 mins while listening to them rant and talk about their life. I made eye contact with the cashier, but he didn’t do anything.

That pissed me off. I noticed that there was a kiosk so I ordered on that.

Honestly…probably won’t be coming back for awhile since this seems to be a normal thing I guess…

Good luck future customers cause you might encounter the same thing.

Shi Shi boba is still my go to and probably will still be my go to since their service is still better than what I’ve gotten from here.

-reply

Hi owner,

Even if I hadn't ordered on the kiosk. That conversation lasted those 5-7 mins. It wasn't until 1-2 mins until i received my order when they has actually stopped talking... if you want to talk technicality, they kept talking even though she was already done ordering before I even came in (this was true as I was watching while I was parking).

I am actually curious how long exactly those two spoke. Can you time that and provide it? I am sure you can hear how loud the female friend is.

Just to let you know, they were already talking before I even came in....so how long was their entire...

I tried this for the first time as a birthday treat to myself. I had seen it on Instagram and it looked great. Going there did not disappoint. The place is in the heart on Quincy off Hancock so there is street parking scattered all around (generally a 2 hour limit). The place itself is bright and very clean. Themed in white and tans. The menu is small and simple- the ones posted online (the google reviews) are accurate (only drinks and three flavors of croffle chocolate, crème brûlée and matcha)

The drinks and food were great (very sweet). I would come back again.

I dined in but everything comes in a to-go container anyway. It was pretty quiet going around 11:30 amon a Wednesday. There are restrooms but you need a passcode. There is wifi but it requires a password.

I can highly recommend the ube brown sugar deerioca crème brûlée milk drink (their #1 drink) and the classic cream brûlée Croffle. The croffle was super tasty but tough to cut with just the plastic fork they give you. But if you ask for a knife they have them!

Pro tip- the to go containers don’t fit in the trash openings- but you can open the front panel and...