Philz Coffee — Restaurant in San Ramon

———UPDATE————

I am deeply troubled by the fact that the owner of this Philz Coffee selectively responds to customer reviews. Despite my unresolved issue, where I paid for a product I did not receive due to an ingredient discrepancy, the owner chose to respond to a review posted after mine. I have already contacted Philz corporate and will give them another 24 hours to address my concerns before I consider contacting my bank and then reporting this location to appropriate public health and safety department for listing incorrect ingredients on the app compared to their in-store menu. It is baffling and unacceptable to ignore a customer, especially when there is a clear fault on the team’s part and a financial obligation to the customer. This oversight borders on theft.

———Initial review———— This experience is a classic case of how a favorite spot can become disappointing. Incorrect menu ingredients paired with poor customer service have tainted my view of Philz Coffee. Recently, I began working nearby and quickly became a regular, often ordering their mint mojito iced coffee--sometimes twice daily. However, today, May 7, 2024, I encountered a problem. I ordered a hot Philharmonic coffee through the Philz app, which listed the ingredients as "Tesora, cardamom, and mint." Yet, while waiting at the store, I noticed the in-store menu listed "hints of maple and cardamom" for the same coffee. I have a strong aversion to maple.

I questioned a female barista about the discrepancy. She disinterestedly remarked that it was just a "hint of maple" and that I probably couldn't taste it, before dismissing me to return to her tasks. This response was frustrating, as I value consistency and honesty from the businesses I support.

The situation escalated when my coffee was ready. After tasting it and detecting maple, I returned it to Jeremiah, explaining my issue with the unlisted ingredient on their in-store menu. Both Jeremiah and another staff member, Shane, were present; Jeremiah was understanding and accepted the return, but Shane insisted, "Well, maple is in the blend, and you can't tell either." This inconsistency between their app and in-store menus suggests deception to either their in-store customers or app users.

Upset, particularly because it was nearly time for my work at 8 AM, and already 7:50 AM, I rejected Shane's offer for a different coffee since I wasn't offered a refund and decided I would instead contact my bank over the matter, as this experience was absolutely unacceptable. As I left, a rude remark was made by the staff, though I couldn't discern exactly what was said.

Philz could have been my go-to coffee shop indefinitely. However, poor customer service and dishonesty about product ingredients have significantly marred my patronage. I've included photos showing the differing ingredient lists from the app and in-store menu below.

Additionally, the consistency of their iced Mint Mojito is lacking. I regularly order this specific drink through the Philz app, always with sweet Splenda. However, the quality varies significantly; one day it might be too watery, while on another, the sweetness levels differ noticeably. It seems there is no strict recipe adherence, and the baristas might be using estimation rather than precise measurements. This lack of consistency in preparation detracts from the overall experience in addition to today’s extremely poor experience.

Note: I did not call my bank. Today I paid for a coffee and walked out empty handed from Philz. The name I use to order is Raj, incase manager...

Come with time and patience. I came on a random Thursday and this line moved very slow. As it does every time. It's unmanageable on weekends and holidays. While I was there they had 3 stations going. 1 serving delivery orders, 1 serving mobile orders, and only one serving in cafe orders. I was in line for about 20 minutes with only 4 people in front of me. A group of 2 people in front of me got tired of waiting and just left (as well as two people behind me but that didn't impact my wait time).

Waiting used to be part of the charm of Philz, where you got the chance to interact with your barista to figure out the right coffee variety and blend of sugar and cream. Not here. You just order at the Kiosk and wait another 20 minutes for your coffee to be ready.

If you come here, just place the order for pickup on your phone. If you decide to stay you can wait and get work done or catch up with friends. In that way the atmosphere is great where you don't need to go through the frustration of waiting in line for the one barista to make everyone's orders.

The coffee is good though. I'll probably only drop by and order if I notice there is zero people in line. Otherwise I'll come with my computer and make...

Visited here for the first time today at the recommendation of family we are staying with (we are from Philly). Ordered the Dancing Water light roast black/hot for myself which was amazing and probably has one of the most unique flavors of any coffee I've ever tasted. My partner got the Gingersnap which he said wasn't as flavorful as he hoped for but was good. We also got a small iced mint mojito to try (and picked up a couple for our family who said they are great) and it was SO GOOD. I was not expecting it to be as good as it was honestly, especially because I usually don't enjoy iced coffee. It was light, not overly sweetened and really tasty! I really want to come back tomorrow to get a large of my own!! We also got the vegan pumpkin slice which was really delicious and two breakfast sandwiches which were heated to perfection. Great atmosphere and super helpful and...