Vanilla Bean Cafe — Restaurant in Sayre

This is my second visit to Vanilla Bean. The first was during their opening week. They are located in the heart of downtown Sayre across from the fire station and Dandy's with a nearby park a block away and plenty of metered parking. The decor is cute, and their seating and several booths resemble a modern twist of an '80s diner with primarily white and wooden accents with greenery galore. The establishment is clean and customer seating is in the shape of a 'U' with two points of entry. Upon walking through the main entrance, you are met with floor to ceiling products for sale, a comfy couch, and a glass counter stocked with pastries where you will be greeted by their welcoming and friendly staff.

Unfortunately, that's where the good points stop. When I arrived at 10:30am I was the last in line of 4 people waiting to place orders and another 2 awaiting their drinks. A gentleman in the line left due to the wait to place his order. I ordered a medium latte accompanied with an almond croissant. The total came out to a hair over $9. The latte was lukewarm. What would have been a great croissant if reheated in the toaster, was sadly, served cold. I can overlook the expensive subpar coffee and croissant oversight because I frequent cafes primarily to get work done on my laptop. It's worth it to me to pay a little more at a local coffee shop provided I am able to use their Wi-Fi. Personally, that's why the worst offender at Vanilla Bean Cafe was their internet, specifically, a lack thereof. The so-called 'internet' is a trial version of Spectrum that requires you to input your basic information before giving you a limited usage of 30 minutes. I inputted my information and was without Wi-Fi after 4 minutes of my supposed 30 minute session. They've had this trial version of Spectrum since their opening.

Location: 4.5/5 Decor: 4.75/5 Service: 3.75/5, good but slow due to staffing Latte: 1/5, hot coffee should be hot Almond Croissant: 2/5, good flavor but a croissant is meant to be flaky, buttery and mostly importantly, warm Wi-Fi: Unacceptable. A cafe with a trial version of Spectrum? SERIOUSLY?

Verdict: Vanilla Bean Cafe has immense potential to be a cornerstone of downtown Sayre but is shooting itself in the foot due to poor quality control, insufficient staffing and what I suspect is penny pinching from the owner(s)/manger(s). Lukewarm coffee is insulting even for a primarily tea drinker like myself. Is it still worth a visit? Sure, it's still a nice coffee shop but what sets apart an okay from a good or even great establishment is in the details. But do yourself a favor and also compare it to the other coffee shops/cafes in the Sayre/Athens/Waverly area. Personally, I will not be patroning Vanilla Bean ever again. Other mom-&-pop-coffee shops offer the same friendliness but with better coffee or better Wi-Fi.

To the owner(s)/manager(s): Start off by getting the simple things correct, like serving hot coffee hot (NOT LUKEWARM) and offering to reheat pastries that have been sitting on your counter. Small gestures like these are what build your customer base. Also, you're hurting yourself but not providing a stable Wi-Fi connect. I would point out that there are a plethora of students and medical professionals at RPH who gladly purchase beverages and food items if Vanilla Bean had an environment conducive to working/studying. There's a reason why nearly every cafe has Wi-Fi, it generally brings in more revenue than what you're paying the...

Nice atmosphere, however, the food is mediocre. Yesterday when I called, I learned that the cook was picking up ingredients from the local Walmart. I could buy my own Thomas bagels. Service at the counter is consistently poor. Very minimal interaction and eye contact is nonexistent, doesn’t tell you when your food is ready, does not remove her headphones when talking with a customer. Very poor customer service. My other issue is that they open at 7AM. However, the “cook” usually isn’t there until 730 or 8. Why bother opening at 7AM? You also lose a tremendous amount of business by not opening at 6AM when hundreds of hospital employees passed by on their way to work, walking towards the highest employer in the county. But that also speaks to their work...

I loved this place! I stopped here for lunch while my husband was in the hospital. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. I the special, a BBQ chicken sandwich on a panini and cheese burger soup. It was perfect and delicious. I loved the raw green pepper with the cooked chicken. The soup what very yummy as well. I also grabbed a peppermint bark coffee with two shots espresso and it was just what I needed. I also had a lovely chat with the staff and they made my afternoon brighter after a rough morning. The bathroom was full of delightful positive messages that also helped my mood. It was very clean and had a lovely atmosphere. The next time I'm in the area I will absolutely be back to try more of thier delicious...