Sola Coffee Cafe — Restaurant in Raleigh

*Avoid like the..."

The yellow #WARNING tape on the door is appropriate.

If Sola's goal is to make their guests as comfortable as the incessant threat of a global pandemic instead of providing a respite or oasis from same- they are succeeding brilliantly.

Upon arriving at our patio table- a young lady came over to place a "Needs Sanitizing" sign on our table. She explained that it was necessary to show that our table required sanitizing after we departed. Charming👻

All of Sola's Covid-19 "Precautions" were designed with exactly two parties in mind- Covid and Sola.

The garish, handwritten signs (IN RED IN CAPS!!) strewn about the property actually do an exceptional job of conveying the bleakness of our present dystopian circumstances, if you're into that aesthetic.

Coffee: Due to Covid, I presume, there's no opportunity to prepare your coffee to taste. They'll do it- but in my case, not as requested. The result: bitterness. Literally and figuratively.

Wi-Fi: If you enquire (you have to- there's no signage visible) they'll tell you it's been spotty for months... A coffee shop in 2020, with 1990's WiFi? C'mon Sola! 🔋🌞

Power: There are #zero power outlets available for guests. There is an outlet box outdoors, crudely locked shut with twisted wire. If you ask- you'll be informed that the outlet is for 'OUR USE ONLY'- and by that she was actually saying- 'That outlet is NOT for YOUR use.'

Sola Surveillance State: Despite there not being a single power outlet for guest use on the entire rear patio- Sola's management did determine that their guests would enjoy being surveilled and monitored- perhaps to feel safer as they looked in vain for napkins, sugar, creamer, a trash can, Wifi, a power outlet or a bathroom?

It would've been simple enough to run power down from their #BigBrother camera and installed a few outlets for emergency #Pandemic😷 recharges- but that would've required considering the wants and needs of their patrons- which Covid has clearly decimated.

Bathrooms: If you ask about restrooms, be prepared to be brusqely directed to a Food Lion across the parking lot with that timeless "sorry, not sorry, idgaf about your problem" vibe.

I've visited Sola in years past and always enjoyed the experience.

Based on today's experience, I'll let Sola fully recover from this pandemic and get back into the business of providing thoughtful accomodations for their patrons before I return.

I don't see any need to pay good money to be treated like a human Coronavirus.

All that said- most folks there appeared quite satisfied (resigned to) with the state of affairs.

Dear Management:

I genuinely empathize with your plight, despite the fact that you seem to have given very little consideration to mine😉

When I stepped into the dining room (oops) there were 8-10 adults, masked and unmasked, going about their business. Aside from the woman placing the #YouAreABiohazard marker on our table, I never witnessed a single employee engaging with a guest in a constructive manner aside from:

"No Bathroom for You" "No Power Outlet for You" "Doubtful Wifi For You"

Honestly, I've only penned 2 or 3 critical business reviews in my 45 years. I arrived at Sola in a great mood. It takes alot for me to stop what I'm doing and suggest that our neighbors temper their expectations with a business. But here we are.

I'd be happy to share my thoughts with you (gratis) on how to #Resist the pandemic while ALSO providing your guests with an A+ customer experience.

It seems to this point that you've considered those outcomes as mutually exclusive- they most definitely are not.

I left my business card behind to assist you in straightening out your Wi-Fi- your guests and employees will thank you later.

Thanks for letting...

UPDATE This is the response the ownership sent me privately, not the same as the response they gave below publicly. We will in fact “take our business elsewhere”. My family never used condescending language to any of the employees, and were never “harmful” to them. We take offense to that outright lie and suggest you are defaming our character publicity. You responded to me without talking to me first. You have 1 side of the story, your employees, which wrote the narrative in your mind as to what happened. Never once did you reach out to us. Maybe they were the ones who who condescending when they laughed at us and shook their heads when I asked nicely if my handicapped parents could please sit while we ordered.

A little common sense goes a long way when you see someone who can’t stand like the rest of us and maybe a more gentle hearted approach to the elderly would serve you better.

Private response

“Brandon, I took the time to respond to your google review in a more long form yesterday. We are trying to serve a huge group of people, and when your family came in the seats you took were taken at the expense of people who had already ordered and were waiting to sit with food and drink in their hands. The reason we have so many people in our shop is that we are actively known as going above and beyond in our kindness, so it’s a bummer to hear you speak so negatively without any solid backing. Year after year (quite literally 8 years in a row) we have won best coffee shop in the Triangle from just about every local publication. The truth is, y’all walked by multiple signs that said please wait to be seated and sat at a table that had yet another sign on it telling people to order before sitting down. You then proceeded to use language and be condescending to our staff member who was just doing his job by trying to serve a larger number of people than just you or your family. I would ask you to be a bit kinder and realize we have more going on than just one family. We are doing our best to serve a huge number of loyal folks. If our kindness isn’t enough for you, happily take your business elsewhere. We are adults here, and we want you to do what you decide is best for your family. But please, don’t be harmful to our staff and try to drag our name through the mud in the process.”

My wife and I just went to get coffee and a muffin. We sat down before ordering and an employee came over and said we can not sit unless we have ordered first. I said “ I’m not going to make my wife and infant stand in line while I order, they can sit while I go order.” He then said “we don’t allow that. Your wife and baby have to stand in line first. “

I said that is the jerkiest move I’ve ever heard of. They can’t sit while I order? He again said, “no”.

Well okay then. We will never come back here. The employee then laughed and shook his...

This was my first experience at Sola and may I say I will not be returning. Upon entry, I immediately loved the atmosphere. My dirty chai and breakfast sandwich were delicious, a bit expensive, but that's okay when you're getting good food. The only reason why this is a one star review is because of my experience with the blond owner. Me and my family had a table in the back, it was a Saturday morning, and it was fairly busy. We had finished eating, but were still enjoying our coffees and chatting when the blond lady came into the small room we were in. She rudely asked a gentleman sitting at the bar style table who was on his laptop and drinking a coffee beverage if the coffee and sandwich that were next to him were his as they were on the table where an empty chair was. He nicely and jokingly said, "no, but I will eat it if it's sitting there much longer." She then retreated and approached our table where we were three people sitting at a table for up to four, still drinking our paid for (and not cheap) coffee (having been there for about 30 minutes maximum total, including waiting for our food). She proceeded to rudely explain to us that there are paying customers that needed the table, implying that we should leave (I thought we were these? Especially with paying $35+). We were quite taken aback and explained that we were still drinking coffee. She then rudely replied telling us that there were paying customers having to stand and eat their food. Meanwhile there was another lady standing with her stuff splayed across 2 seat sections who had been absent during this time, but was there before we even sat down. Instead of waiting for the lady to return, the blond lady then just took a stool from the bar table area and said, "oh this is kind of broken anyways", and left the room. The other people in the very full room all told us that it was incredibly rude what the blond lady had said and we all talked about it for at least 5 minutes how astounding the behavior was. On top of all of this, I was here visiting my family for my mother's birthday and to be treated so poorly on her birthday by an owner made me write a business review for the first time. I understand it was a busy day but that type of behavior was incredibly uncalled for, we were polite paying customers that hadn't been there for longer than 30 minutes total. Upon talking to my family members that have gone to Sola several times, this is not the first terribly rude experience with the blond owner. I just hope that other customers won't have to go...