Fred Coffee — Restaurant in Seattle

Not in the habit of going out of my way to review places, and to be honest I love this place, great coffee, great atmosphere, great spot to get some work done and I come here almost everyday. But today I was completely insulted and reprimanded by the barista. It was nearing closing time, there were still several people in the coffee shop, I had ordered another coffee at 2:59 because he was still making coffees, and had not seemed to be closing up shop yet as there were still several people in the shop. I went back to my seat to finish up an email and pack up and he came over and told me that I was disrespectful for not being packed up and out of the shop as it’s the same person that does this every day, however I always pack up and leave either before or at close (they usually give a 5 min heads up (not today though). In fact sometimes I make a point to call ahead and order a coffee so as not to inconvenience them right at close if I’m not studying there . I would understand being treated so rudely if I am/was severely inconsiderate or inconveniencing him closing up… moreover consistently. but when you are just putting your laptop in your bag, and walking your dishes and coffee cup over to the trash on your way out… and today I was packing up and leaving right when I saw everyone else leaving at like 3:01/3:02, it was very unexpected and unwarranted that the barista confronted me like that. I’ve never ever had a barista or anyone be so rude like that over something so innocent and ridiculous as one minute. I didn’t even know what to say I was so kind of shocked by it.

important to note that I got back at my car a block away at 3:04.

Honestly, I've waited here for over 10 minutes for a coffee before while in a rush, and sometimes they haven't had lids and its not a big deal or inconvenience to me...so this was just striking arrogant and rude.

Man, I’m sorry if you were having a bad day and just chose to rip into me or whatever. But that was not professional. Not alright. Not warranted. Kind of hurtful if not for being so ridiculous. And just made you out to be incredibly rude to a regular customer much less any customer. Their coffee/pastries really are so good that it will tough to not come back here.... but im hard pressed to give my business to this location on account of this...

UPDATE: The Wi-Fi was now going like 200 Mbps. I don't know why it was 1 Mbps for a while but I am adding a star. I still think the acoustics of the place and overall "vibe" could be improved as it's a bit sterile feeling and not so welcoming, but the coffee quality itself is really good, and the baristas are great, so this is definitely a preferred cafe for me.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Pluses: Coffee is great, baristas are great, prices are normal. Minuses: Wi-Fi slow or nonexistent, echoey acoustic environment with too-quiet music and people blabbing on headsets, no cups to get water.

Coffee is fantastic, prices are standard, but there are a few problems. First, the Wi-Fi goes out, but even when it's on, the speed test puts it at 1 Mbps. That is way too slow. It is definitely throttled. (Funny enough, upload speeds are OK.) Second, the acoustic environment is just not really dialed in. It's super echoey and the music is good but it's kind of quiet and not really a "vibe" the way I look for in a cafe. It just feels sterile and not like a neighborhood community hub, the way I want in a cafe. People talking on their headsets certainly don't help. This would be a 5-star cafe in many places but in Seattle it's just not at the level I expect. Third, they often do not keep water cups stocked making it hard to get water. These could be remedied and then I would give it 4.5 or even 5 stars.

The main thing is they need to put up some acoustic baffling and things on the walls, and turn up the music, get some better tracks and just make it feel more homey and vibey. Ask your baristas what to do, they all seem cool and probably have lots of ideas how to make it more comfortable. Finally, get more cups so you don't have to restock them by the water so often. That's my advice. Those things would...

Employees are hostile and create a volatile environment. My friend and I were enjoying a cup of tea quietly, when the manager and an employee decided to accost us unprovoked, the employee getting so hostile they grabbed my friend's personal belongings and initiated a physical confrontation, even following us out of the establishment and threatening us with physical violence.

I understand that I'm a high profile individual due to a criminal case of a political nature that took place 4 years ago, but I left that stuff behind 3 years ago and actively work in the conmunity to prevent others from making the same mistakes I did, counseling youth at-risk of radicalization and staging interventions with certain non-profits to help stop the rise of political extremism. I've worked hard in this community to make a difference, and have happily lived a quiet life with my boyfriend since.

So I pose a question: if an employee of this establishment can arbitrarily decide (based off of outdated information and ignorance of current circumstances) that I'm worthy of violent confrontation and threats of violence to not just myself but also my uninvolved friend, while he's on the clock, and be allowed to get away with it free of consequence, is anyone truly safe coming to this café? Where political opinions (of the distant past) warrant physical unprovoked violence? Dine at...