Dozer Coffee — Restaurant in Scio Township

Consistency is key, been here twice in the last week and neither time was disappointed. Went for morning coffee the first time and had a cortado, first time I've even seen that on a menu over here. I had my doubts but was excited to see it. Our barista who's name I learned on the second visit was Daveid (I warned you I might spell that wrong sorry dude) prepared our drinks and was made with care and skill even down to the leaf pattern in a small 7oz glass, dude has mad skills. If you're not sure if it's him he's the one in a beanie and rocks it like a champ! Tried their pastries on that visit and had a doughnut with a cream vanilla bean center and it did not disappoint!

Came back today and had some writing to do, spent 6 hours on site and watched it's transition from a coffee house to bar. I say bar as I can't think of a better way to put it but in my time there I saw families with toddlers and new borns coming to soak up a little sun and enjoy a cold drink. Friends meeting up, couples of all ages enjoying the wealth of seating options including tables for those in wheelchairs.

They have a seating area that's all air-conditioned with folding doors they open up when the bar opens at 3pm, groups of people playing board and card games as well as people working on laptops. There are firepits to chill at as the evening draws in and food trucks that vary through the week offering food too.

Music plays throughout the day which helps me write, it was present but unimposing a hard balance to achieve but executed without flaw. I found myself taking breaks and just watching people having a great time as kids played outside and everyone, including the staff smiling.

Bathrooms were always clean, mobility aids present, space to manoeuvre a wheelchair if required and even offered free feminine hygiene products which I was very impressed by. This team has really thought this place through.

I was visited by the staff on a few occasions, they cleared the empties on my table and checked I was finished before promptly clearing all I was done with. The staff know their stuff, when I asked for recommendations they listened to what I wanted and gave me options, try the lavender lemonade it's wonderfully refreshing after pounding good coffee.

Also a shout out to the lady with the cool eye shadow that recommended one of their shots, a power mix of fruits to help you along for many hours of writing.

Perhaps the icing on the cake for me was just before I left when Daveid was looking for empties to clear and clocked my gaze. He smiled and gave me a little nod. May seem nothing but that showed acknowledgement and he didn't have to do that, he couldn't of just continued to scan the tables and that stuck with me.

I'm not much of a drinker but they have an in-house brewery, which they make Smooj I tried the Pina colada and it was sensational. They offer cold beers on tap, lots of soft drink options, something for all tastes.

Can't wait to come back and try the food made by their team, even got to meet the man behind the menu Nick, really down to earth guy that loves what he does. You can see the staff feel valued and want to see the place grow and with all they offer it certainly shall.

TL:DR great place for coffee, drinks, games, gatherings and for me a...

First I'd like to mention, I never thought I'd have a bad thing to say about Dozer. I recently discovered them while taking classes nearby and fell in love. Since I live 30 min outside of Ann Arbor, and having moved there from Chicago... it has been quite the endeavor to find a place with good coffee. If that is all you care about, this is the spot.

However, the service and attitude of the individuals providing access to said coffee leaves something to be desired. I previously had pretty decent experiences here - I have been a customer many times mostly to pick up my order at the drive through, though a few times I have eaten inside with my partner because I wanted to show them this place.

Initially I couldn't believe or understand reviews on here that said the service was bad. Generally when I have eaten inside it's been pretty busy and everyone working there seems friendly but focused to handle the rush.

However, yesterday that all changed when I walked in to retrieve my pick up order inside at the counter for the first time at about 3:30. When I arrived there was no one in line and two folks behind the espresso machines, carrying on chatting with each other while making two drinks. I then proceeded to stand at the far end of the counter to wait for my drink to be called out as I've previously seen done there for pick up orders. Not two seconds I'm waiting there, one of the employees behind the espresso machine says "If you need something you can go over here" rather condescendingly and points to the register. So I think ok no problem and walk over. Again, this is different than what I have seen previously of people arriving to pick up walking in and waiting at the end of the bar just as I had done...

However neither one of them helps me and instead someone really pissed looking comes out from the back and glares at me.

I mention I'm just here for a pick up order but was instructed to come over here. They roll their eyes and head back to the back. The person that told me to go to the register in the first place says "yeah because we still need to know your name for the order" again in an extremely combative tone... I am confused at this point and am embarrassed because it now feels as though simply being a customer... I am a dumb idiot that couldn't possibly understand how to pick up a coffee.

I've worked as a barista for 10+ years, I understand everyone has off days and that Ann Arbor likely has some pretty high maintenance customers. I also genuinely appreciate an interaction over email previously with Emily for adding an option to the online ordering that I suggested. What I have trouble with is being made to feel lesser than for trying to make the interaction as seamless as possible for everyone involved, including the baristas who couldn't be bothered to ask "Hi, here for pick up? What's the name? Ok great we are working on that right now - it will be a few minutes."

Maybe adding a sign "Here for a pick up order? Please check in at register. Thanks!" would be helpful?

I thought this place was new so I was happy to give the benefit of the doubt... but this kind of experience at an established spot has been such a bummer, I know I...

Edit: The "quiet room" was completely full, probably with people weren't also interested in listening to the baristas practice their improv routines. I worked in food service for years -- my coworker banter happened away from guests, which is the professional thing to do.

Okay, so I'll admit that I came to this place with a negative mindset because the parking situation is awful. At 10am on a weekday there was exactly one free spot in the far back corner of the lot, near the ceramics studio. I know there are other businesses that share the lot during the day but you can tell that the parking lot is small for a space of this size.

The menu. Coffee is decent. Made fast. My Americano tasted like an Americano. They sell baked goods from other places like Washtenaw Dairy for a markup. There are other trendy prepared items on the menu like "Loaded Tots" and "Sammies" for the prices you'd expect for a hip coffee shop in Ann Arbor.

The staff. I'm sorry, I'm a mean old lady, but they were annoying. They seemed to believe they were starring in a charming yet edgy sitcom set in a coffee shop, and the customers were either their audience or just background extras. They got the job done and like I said my Americano was fine, but I was under the impression that a coffee shop generally has kind of a quieter vibe? These kids were loud, bantering and laughing at the top of their lungs almost non-stop for the entire hour I was there. Glad you're having fun at your job but it got grating as noise carries a lot in this space and people generally come to coffee shops to chat or do work undistracted by wacky hijinks.

The atmosphere. It's definitely more of a bar feel than a coffee shop as my previous paragraph probably suggests. Very industrial, black and white with jewel tone accent colors. Pop-punk from ten years ago on the playlist.

Conclusions, it's probably a great brewery. As a coffee shop, I'll...