Groundswell — Restaurant in Saint Paul

I’ve been a customer here for at least 8 years and have observed a blatant decline in the quality/availability/portion sizes of their food and bakery items over the years. I’ve also been EXTREMELY disappointed by the customer service the past half-dozen or so times I’ve been here in 2023 and 24. The staff are generally rude, brisk, unwilling to serve, and rarely ever smile or greet customers. It’s just disrespectful and makes me no longer want to tip at this business, because it seems I am tipping only to receive disrespect from staff. As customers, we’re already paying for overpriced mediocre coffee and the least you can do is do your job well, especially if you are being tipped.

It’s also often extremely crowded here and the music is often blaring, making it near impossible to have conversations or focused study time. Overall, I don’t really recommend this place which is sad because it literally used to be my favorite cafe in St. Paul.

My last complaint is it feels like the baristas have a serious discomfort and issue with BIPOC/cultural minority people being in here, which is crazy as you’re literally gentrifying a whole African American neighborhood, so again the least that your staff could do is give people of color who come into your venue some basic respect. Racism and coded white passive aggressive behaviors towards minorities and CUSTOMERS have no place in 2024, if the mass protests during the George Floyd in 2020...

Food and tea great!!!... cashier seemed cold and not very friendly. Very surprised by that being a local coffee shop. Maybe she was having a bad day or remembered me asking for a blended ice coffee on that one hot day last week. No wait she was cold that day too. I thanked her and left. This visit, I had the vegan banana bread it was moist and delicious. I was hoping Gracie was still working there. I have not been there since back room was homemade goods. I was hoping to see some treasures. There were more tables and chairs but after 2pm on a week day, must be a peck time. There was only one table left with two chairs.

I miss the windows in front sun shine block nice in the summer but we live in Minnesota sun is great to have on those cloudy cold days. Paint on ceiling starting to peel off too. I ordered asked for children's drink milk or juice. I choice apple it was in aluminum drink container with a straw. Aluminum outlawed in European for causing Alzheimer's. So we went with orange juice non organic out of a carton. BIG HIT with my two year old year that enjoyed bubble blowing. He eat the blueberry with fresh levander and said, "yummy in my tummy". Cashier lady was very helpful on instructions on how to remove tea after brewing. Thank you for a delightfully charming place to take my son for his first...

Horrible service and average food. I hated that I had to pay first giving me no option but to wait 45 minutes for an omellete. I wanted to leave. They were not that busy. Our order was incorrect, overpriced and extremely salty.

We watched a server empty a big garbage bag, replace it, then immediately went over to grab silverware and our plates at the window without washing her hands. Her thumb was on top of my plate nearly touching my food. We said something to her and she apologized, but in the typical 20-something year old way. She did not go wash hands after that, she just continued doing what she was doing.

A cook actually yelled at my wife for stepping into an area that was NOT clearly marked for employees only. She was trying to get some assistance from wait staff but no one was around.

There was a single bathroom that was locked the entire time with no one inside (it was dark under the door, so I am assuming).

This place is a typical hipster place that made us feel that they do not care at all about the customers, because another one will come along shortly, so who cares if you don't...