Clean Slate Coffee House — Restaurant in Rothschild

This review applauds Clean Slate for handling a customer service situation beyond expectations.

I've been to Clean Slate twice. The first time was with my sister, and it was fantastic. My sister and I are lactose intolerant, but the employee patiently answered all of our questions and assured us that even the chocolate chips in the frappe were dairy-free because they weren't actually 'chocolate' chips, but some sort of processed chocolate-ish chip. I had no issue with this because . . . um . . . non-dairy frappe? Yes, please! Unfortunately, I was already out of sorts that day, and my sister took some lactose pills that night, so I can't confirm if what my sister and I were told was true or not.

For those of you who don't know, people who have lactose intolerance but consume lactose (which is present in milk, whey, and milk-products) suffer symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, stomach pains, and gas - rotten egg, volcanic gas that cannot be ignored. You know, fun times.

The second time I went to Clean Slate, I was with my mother and ordered a caramel macchiato without asking about milk present in the flavors since it had already been confirmed that it was dairy-free. My mother interrupted and asked for me right before the lady behind the counter (high school age?) typed in the order, "Can that be dairy-free though?" and she possibly also said, "with no milk," or something of the like.

My mother ordered a double chocolate frappe and shared a sip of her drink with me. It was delicious. Then it struck my mom - the chips tasted like regular chocolate chips! She hurried back to the counter, telling me over her shoulder, "The chocolate chips!" so I didn't get the chance to tell her that I had already checked last time, and we were all good.

We weren't all good.

This time, the two employees working the register said that they'd have to ask their mom, who was working in the back. Coffee Mom came out and said that of course it contained milk because they only had milk chocolate chips.

So . . .

I sighed, but it was fine because my drink was still dairy-free. Then I got paranoid and decided to ask about the flavorings added to my drink. It was definitely paranoia because the last time we came the flavorings had been dairy-free, and it had been evident from our earlier interaction (cue your recall of my mother's question) that I could not consume dairy.

I was not paranoid.

This situation, by itself, would not warrant me going to Google to enter in a one-star review. Their response to the situation, which was not the minimal, "Oh. That's not good. Will you be all right?" or the - quite honestly, expected because I work at Kwik Trip and customer service is SUPREME - "I'm so sorry. I can make you a new drink/I didn't realize this and can't make dairy-free drinks, so do you want a refund?"

Instead, their passionate response included:

an exemplary job of a starting and continuing a she-said, she-said game, where I asked for either non-dairy milk OR a non-dairy drink, but was irrevocably in the wrong and had to acknowledge that (their mother, who you may recall had been working in the back and had not taken our order, helped them by assuring everyone that I had ordered wrong) raised their voices and talked over each other, successfully escalating the situation began complaining about us before we finished walking out of the store, which we knew because we could hear them (which is exactly why you're not supposed to do that).

I don't even know how to end this review because I can understand the non-dairy miscommunication (though I'm not deathly allergic to anything, so maybe somebody with a more serious allergy would disagree). What I can't understand is the absolute certainty of Coffee Mom that I had ordered wrong, her (most likely unconsciously) condescending, "Honey, we can't ask everyone about their allergies," and the three employees all talking to me at once, all saying, "YOU are the issue," without...

This place, will always be a go to place. Although I cannot make it there all the time, I try to make it hardest to support Jen and her team! Libby and Savannah are the sweetest and go the extra mile in showing support for one another! As the general manager at Wild Roots Apothecary, these two ladies stop in whenever they can, and their personality does not change. Who you meet at CSCH is their true self, which is caring, respectful, kind, and so much more! I normally always get a Lotus drink, but the few times I have gotten elsewise, I have been very satisfied. This has never been my experience at CSCH, but from negative reviews I have read; I just wanted to share my support in CSCH. I think that if you are not satisfied with anything that you receive, no matter how upset you may be, raising your concern in a pleasing way can help find a solution to leave both parties happy and not feel that one is at more fault than another. In the end, no one is perfect and mistakes do happen, and giving everyone a lead of grace with a concern goes a long ways. Sometimes you will find your concern being talked from the team, but please ensure yourself that it is not about you, it is more than likely about the situation because all they ever want is to make sure it does not happen again. Moreso, make it a positive experience! We live and we learn, but we also do love. So when they talk, they are just trying to find an instantaneous way to make sure they can be better and more helpful service members to customers. All of these words go for any business, and unfortunately sometimes people may not understand, but kindness is free so use it :) I give lots of love to this company and what they provide for...

In response to the owners request for clarification of my review of Clean Slate Coffee House.

In regards to discrimination, possible tampering observed and on at least one occasion a poorly received Alcohol Free Irish Coffee. (As expected):

It did not appear to have much coffee. Seemed to be mostly a dairy product, but the beverage tasted so bad that I returned it to the cup after taking my first sip in my vehicle.

A cashier that I do not see at work in the establishment any more. Was commenting about my gender inappropriately. She walked over to another employee commenting about this issue. I made her aware of my gender and verified it as noted by the State of Wisconsin on my ID card.

On at least 3 other visits, I observed 3 other customers enter the store after me. Some even ordered multiple drinks and were served and departed while I still waited alone for my beverage.

Also A barista took my order and rather than complete it before going into the backroom. She left me waiting approximately 7 or more minutes. When she came out, She placed a metal can on one counter and went to another where my drink seemed to have already been ready and then she walked it over to me on her way to the dining room. It did not make me happy since I was waiting to continue my travels.

In general I have lost all confidence with Clean Slate Coffee House.

Through the years my reviews have been viewed by over 200,00 people and my photos by over 184,000 individuals. I will miss spending time with my Veteran and other friends.

I wish the Clean Slate a bright...