Groovy Goose — Restaurant in San Carlos

First off, super cute shop! Absolutely love the vibe that comes through in the decor and layout, and the location is super convenient downtown. Atmosphere feels inviting!

A few things tanked this rating for me...

The Cold brew. Cold Brew/iced coffee is my favorite thing and it is just not good :(. I have tried a plain cold brew when they first opened, an iced latte a few weeks later, and a cold brew with cream the other day, and every time It's very sour and way too acidic. I think they're maybe not using fine enough ground coffee, or they're not balancing out their cold brew concentrate correctly and it's just way too strong. I hope it improves because I really want to support a small business but man, it's just not drinkable. There's no flavor to it other than sour :/

Seating-- Would be nice if they had one or two actual tables with real chairs, and outdoor seating would have been nice too. I'd love to come in and sip while I work but it's just not possible to have a laptop there for longer than like 30mins (bummer because people usually buy snacks/refresh their beverages throughout the day when working in a cafe!)

The prices are pretty steep in general. Plus, it's crazy to charge more than $0.25 for milk alternatives, not even the chains charge $1 for a splash of oat.

The almond croissant is delicious though, and the staff is always helpful and kind! I'd come back every once in a while for the croissants, and for the friendly service, but for my daily coffee I'll stick to...

I’ve been a loyal customer at GroovyGoose for some time now, but I was very disappointed with the customer service I experienced last week. I ordered a double shot of espresso on ice and went to the bar to add a splash of half and half, as I usually do. When I noticed the half and half container was empty, I asked the employee who rang up my order if there was any more available.

Instead of simply assisting, he responded rudely by saying that next time I would need to be charged for a latte. I explained that I didn’t want a latte, and that I specifically ordered a double shot because I find lattes too milky, especially the breve ones you serve. I was genuinely upset by the tone and implication of his comment, and I ended up leaving without adding anything to my drink.

At $6, a small splash of half and half shouldn’t be an issue, and certainly not something to cause conflict over! On top of that, my mom’s latte was also overly milky and not up to the usual standard.

I hope this feedback helps your team better understand how to speak to regular customers and maintain a welcoming...

Great to see a real local espresso bar finally open in downtown San Carlos!

We went to their grand opening today had an overall positive experience, but there were a couple big issues that keep this from being a 4 or 5 star place.

First, the price. A flavored latte with alternative milk costs about $8 for a small. That price is pretty outrageous. Charging anything for oat/soy/almond milk is pretty lame in my opinion, but charging $1.25 for it is basically a scam. Oat milk costs like .07 cents per oz at Costco, meaning they're marking it up over 300% (based on 5oz in a latte).

Secondly, they don't have straws. The barista didn't say that they were out of straws, but that they simply do not have them whatsoever. Straws are important for people with disabilities, dental issues, etc. and they should be offering them.

Other than those two issues, everything else seemed good. The workers were friendly and the space is really cool, they even have an on site roastery.

This place has a lot of potential and I hope they re-evaluate their pricing so I can try it again and...