Global Village Organic Coffee — Restaurant in Raleigh

I am writing this review with very mixed emotions. I have been going to Global since my first year at NCSU. I had become accustomed to the middle-aged gentleman that used to be there and how friendly and welcoming he was as well as great coffee options.

First the coffee is good!! but I am taking my business elsewhere…. Part of the staff is why I will NOT be going back. I like to go to local, friendly welcoming places, and unfortunately THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM ANYMORE.

There is a lady/barista, usually working in the morning (middle-aged, petite lady) that she is either the manager or thinks she's in charge. She is not friendly at all, very rude, and condescending with costumers. It seems that her demeanor is not with everyone because she can be so friendly and nice towards white customers.

The last straw was today, a group of students were talking and ordering and there were just masks up at the front and one of them took one mask to which she didn't politely say but yelled at them, not enough she proceeded to go outside behind them as they had not heard her response and yelled and reprimanded them in front of the shop. This is unacceptable. There was any sign posted around saying that the masks were for sale.

IF YOU WANT A NICE ATMOSPHERE, COMPARABLE PRICES AND WAY FRIENDLY STAFF, YOU CAN TRY JUBALA (just up the street), CUP OF JOE, or even STARBUCKS a little further the other way down Hillsborough. Sad that this lady didn’t consider we were 7 people in our party, and she made a scene out of ONE mask. (No sign they were for sale).

**Thank you for your response. The bigger issue was not about the mask. We didn't have any issue wearing a mask, we respect the mandate about wearing a mask inside the coffee shop. Usually establishments that have masks available are typically offering as a courtesy with mask mandate. You skipped over the larger issue about how the staff handled the situation yelling at clients inside the store and outside in public. One of us took a mask, the staff member was claiming they were for sale, I offered to pay for the mask and she was rude, so I don't know what motivate her to make a scene in front of everybody. Terrible experience, I just prefer to go to places where the staff can be more friendly and kind towards regular clients.

Wish...

Those at NCSU who knew me saw me in the same recognizable coat black trenchcoat every day... I loved this place. The owner, Mike, has always been a good man, and I even got to the point of saying "the usual" and getting my large 4 shot white moka whip to go. Since my first arrival in 2004 it was paradise. There were good baristas, good clientele, great coffee and the owner had a policy in place where he stated "When I first opened this place I said that I would ALWAYS provide a regular cup of drop coffee for $1 so long as you bring your Global Village mug." That is how it was, and it was good... Now on to the reason for my 2 star rating... It first dawned on me that I ought to cherish my experience while I could when I saw the prices start to creep upward. The people I got to know, good solid people, we're slowly replaced one by one with a staff of grating, aloof, self important hipster douche bags who behaved as if the very act of ringing me up was an imposition on their otherwise crappy day. This continued on with ever increasing prices that put it out of my price range forcing me to show up less. The final insult was when, after two months, I was finally able to visit again, requested a cup of regular in my signature mug, only to find out the price had climbed. to $1.75 When I expressed disbelief, the mid 20's Asian female barista with Problem Glasses and blue gauged ears audibly scoffed and repeated the price, as if I were too dumb to understand the first time. My trust in the establishment had been drug through mud and gravel and finally killed off by the dismissive angst of utterly rude hipster staffers. I miss GV, what it used to be... I loved that place as my second home, gave them hundreds of dollars of hard earned money not for the lattes I could get from any circle K for $2.50, but for the sense of community and family indicative of the plane's namesake. Mike, if you read this, it's me, Gothic Phil in the Tripp Pants. Im truly sorry man... The stars I gave were for you and for the coffee, but sadly it was the staff that left a bad taste in my mouth, and never your...

Great coffee, but taking my business elsewhere.

I met up with some friends to get our usual coffee here on Wednesday. There used to be a stack of masks available on the countertop near the door. So, when needed, we would take one to ensure we were abiding by the store policy. We did this, along with other patrons (not just us) habitually, because we understood that these masks were available for customers to protect themselves/the other patrons in the store.

This time, we went in for our coffee, and one of our group members was needing a new mask, so she grabbed one from the front to replace the one that she had. None of us thought anything of this, since there used to be a stack of masks available for the clients.

When our group member took the mask, one of the women behind the bar started shouting at her across the shop until we left. We didn't hear her, so this woman followed us out to tell us that the masks were not free. Her approach was very aggressive and unwelcoming, and made us all feel very uncomfortable. She spoke to us as if we intentionally stole from the store.

If the masks are no longer free, we were not aware of this. The group member wasn't meaning to steal.

Regardless, there is a way of handling this kind of situation. And the combative apparoach that this person took was absolutely unnecessary.

I see that someone else mentioned this above. But, the point needs to get across: In customer service, yelling at a customer about something they were oblivious to, and then following them out the door to ensure they hear you yelling, is absolutely uncalled for, innappropriate, and rude.

We are adults, not children. I hope there is something to learn from this and that you can do better in the future.

I'd start with moving the masks away from public reach to ensure this kind of confusion doesn't happen again.

As mentioned before, me and my other seven colleagues will not be coming here for our routine...