Driftwood Cafe — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

Today, may 18 around 7pm was my first and probably my last time coming into this place. My 7 years old picked this place to have a meal and a drink. There was a cashier with kind of red hair and eyeglass on. My son asked her several times questions about some chocolate boxes on display and ignored him the entire time while she was looking at him making an awkward situation. He was trying to decide what to get. she looks at him almost as she is disgusted by him. My son and I smiled at her from the beginning, and that's when my son asked her about some ice cream and candy. Then she proceeded to give us the i don't care attitude, so at that point, I told her that I changed my mind and I was going to eat elsewhere. So my friend was very upset about her attitude and asked for her name. Well, she obviously denied and was mean to him. The other lady working with her also denied telling their names and told my friend to go away. They act like they own that place ...probably they do. If they were my employees, I would let them go... there is zero customer...

What a Wonderful Experience!

My friend and I were visiting from Texas and decided to check out St. Pete Beach for the first time — and we’re so glad we stopped by Pier Teaki! The view, the vibe, the drinks... all amazing. But what really made our experience unforgettable was the staff.

We came by on a Sunday and had the absolute pleasure of being served by Noah, Gabe, Javon, and a super cool barback (whose name I didn’t catch, but we nicknamed him “Wiz” because of his awesome dreads — like Wiz Khalifa!). We actually came up with fun nicknames for everyone because we were having such a great time. Noah was "Miles" (from Top Gun), Javon was "Lenny Kravitz," Gabe became "Chizel" (seriously, that jawline and hair — total model potential!), and of course, “Wiz.”

Also, shoutout to Bree (waitress) — she was the sweetest. As a business owner myself, I know how hard it is to find staff who truly elevate the guest experience, and Pier Teaki has absolutely nailed it. Whoever did the hiring — well done!

We'll definitely be back. This...

Next time we are at the Pier we will grab coffee before we go. Cafe is way too small of a space for how many people gather here, very cramped. It was extremely hot inside, to the point we felt sorry for the employees, and this was on a 60 degree day. Only 3 coffee orders ahead of ours and it took 20 minutes. No way to call out orders outside, so we had to cram inside as we waited and sweated. Only one employee was tasked with making drinks, and it was a slow process. When we got the drinks, they weren't worth the wait. My latte tasted like it was made with day old espresso run through a machine that had never been cleaned and there was a lot of mysterious sludge at the bottom. The St. Pete Pier is a world famous place with tourists from all over, so we expected a more thoughtful design for its cafe and a higher quality product for the high...