Drift Cafe Ridgewood — Restaurant in Raleigh

UPDATE: This review has been updated to reflect Drift's response to my concerns. Odd that the owner is unaware of what is served at this location and responds by saying “we do serve Elmhurst…” Yes. Elmhurst ALMOND milk. This review is in re: to OAT milk served at Drift — which is currently OATLY.

I do hope you reevaluate your decision to serve Oatly's seed oil OAT milk. For those of us that drink plant-based milk often, the problems with that brand are glaringly obvious. I love to support businesses that are conscious and discerning re: the quality of products/ingredients they source and serve. This still misses the mark.

As an avid coffee drinker, I really wanted to support Drift’s new Raleigh location, however, they only serve Oatly in their coffee as a plant-based milk alternative when customers request oat milk. This is highly problematic given Oatly uses industrial seed oils which causes the same blood sugar impact as drinking a Coke.

Oatly’s primary sugar, maltose, has 2.3x the blood sugar impact as lactose, the primary sugar in cow’s milk – a glycemic index of 105, compared to 46 for lactose.

Furthermore, the highly processed and toxic industrial rapeseed oil (canola oil) in Oatly is harmful (chronic inflammatory diseases galore), and the phosphate additives are also problematic. Oatly is garbage – a substandard product; which anyone who drinks oat milk understands, except the coffee shops that attempt to serve it.

Coffee shops like Drift that intentionally choose to serve inflammation in a cup actively undermine and overlook the entire purpose of health-conscious consumers opting for a “healthy” plant-based milk alternative.

Instead of being mindful of this and offering truly healthy alternatives (i.e., simple ingredients) such as Elmhurst, Minor Figures or MALK, they ignore customer concerns.

It’s clear Drift’s owners are not at all concerned about the health of their customers. If they were, they would not continue to overlook one of the main reasons why people prefer plant-based milk alternatives.

Also, Oatly was recalled in 2022 for microbial contamination and they just reached a $9.25M settlement in another case re: a pending class...

Do not go to this restaurant if you’re looking for a relaxing experience. Food is great, but the manager has brought this great restaurant to its knees. We have eaten at Drift Cafes in Wilmington and Myrtle Beach and always enjoyed our experience. First trip was opening weekend and the service was terrible. Out of 9 items ordered only 6 arrived. After reporting this, we were told they would have to put the correction in the back of the queue which meant we were done with our mains before any of our sides showed up 20 minutes later, and we were still missing an order of pancakes which I asked to just have made to go. After pointing out the third error to the manager he was very defensive and asked angrily “what do you want, me to just take it off your bill?” After saying he would and asking for the check, another 20 minutes passes before we get the pancakes, and the bill which they had forgotten to remove the pancakes from. After pointing out this again the rest of my party had left because of how rude the manager had been and I stayed behind another 10 minutes to finally sort out the bill. Initially my wife asked me not to leave a review because it was opening weekend and we love Drift’s other locations so I didn’t. Then we went back today with my parents and 4 year old at 11am and were told they were no longer serving groups larger than 4. The hostess nervously explained how even though my 5th person was a four year old we still couldn’t be seated at all even though there were several parties of 5 or greater already eating while the manager stood behind her with a panicked face that said he’d completely lost control of the situation and could no longer control his restaurant in an effective way. I will happily come back when the current manager is no longer there to bungle away the hard work and talent of the...

After hearing much excitement about Drift Cafe, I was a bit let down. First of all, it is very loud inside. The space is quite small and they seat a decent amount of people which results in a lot of talking and noise. However, the interior design is very cute and coastal which gives off very beachy vibes. Secondly, the service was not the best. We waited around 40 minutes for our food to come out, and were unable to get a hold on our server during that time. We were only given 1 bottles of water for a table of 8 during our entire waiting period. The server was always around, but it was very hard to get their attention. Finally, for the food! Berry Stack Pancakes - Soft and fluffy pancakes, and the jam was not too sweet. Crispy Potato Brekkie - Large portion and the eggs were delicious and well cooked! However, our potatoes were not crispy at all; only soft. Breakfast Burrito - The burrito itself is delicious and very filling. The pork was seasoned well and the veggies were fresh. The dressed greens were very plain and the dressing tasted almost of nothing. Drift Smashburger - I would definitely prefer going somewhere else for a burger (ie. Five Guys, Shake Shack). It was not bad, but it was quite expensive and you could find cheaper and better tasting options. Overall, in my opinion, Drift Cafe is a bit overpriced and I would only come back for the burritos. I will say that I am not a coffee person though, so I have no input on their...