Synergy — Restaurant in Sedona

Sooo, my mom and I decided to do turkey day in Sedona. Since she is older and concerned cause we are in the middle of a pandemic - I wanted to honor her and make sure we stayed safe the entire trip. This means we are following all of the CDC guidelines including masks.

In any case, I have this hankering for coffee and chocolate and see their sign and head straight in. I went in with a friendly vibe and ordered a mocha and some chocolate... I pay and look around and all of a sudden I realize that not one person in the establishment is wearing masks. In shock, I head for the door and decide to wait outside for my order. I wear masks because I care about the health and safety of others, my mom included because she is older and at higher risk due to her age.

It just strikes me as odd that a place that seemed so friendly would be anti-mask. When I came back in to retrieve my drink the person behind the counter briefly put on his scarf over his mouth and I quickly grabbed my purchase and left.

Needless to say, the anxiety and long convo I had to have with my mom on the first day of our holiday trip was rough. I hadn’t seen her since this pandemic started and this was her first trip since the pandemic began. Needless to say, we agreed from that moment on that if a business was not wearing following CDC guidelines - that we would not go out of concern for her health. Super disappointed that with all we know about Covid, establishments are not following best practices.

Looking back, I am not sure what I would have done if I exposed my mom to covid over a cup of coffee. Writing this almost a week later, I am still feeling guilty about getting that cup of coffee and putting my mom at risk for something so small as a...

I felt extremely uncomfortable and unwelcome here. It's really disappointing because I like the concept, the quality is very high (it's easy to tell), and it seemed to intend to foster positive and transformative energy.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm a woman of color. As a POC involved in spiritual circles and a yoga practitioner it's rare but deeply disturbing when I experience hostility for taking space in an environment that I assumed is meant for all. When I walked in no one said anything to me. A white man walked in right behind me and a barista or maybe manager came over and warmly welcomed him. She then crossed into my personal space to ask him about his day. After I ordered I stepped outside because of how uncomfortable I felt. I also noted, when she crossed paths closely with another white costumer,, they were acknowledged with an,, "excuse me".

Outside I realized I wasn't sure where I might need to go to pickup my order. I asked someone in line, where I might go to get it. She said I should expect to wait after everyone else who ordered before me.... okay? I don't know why my presence seemed to activate the the white blood cells to attack the cancer I cancerous vibe I might have presented. However, it's experiences like this that create exclusion and...

Review Edited - 5/18/2022:

The owner of the cafe left such a positive response to my review below that I feel it is only fair to revise my review from 1 to 3 stars. My experience is valid, but for an owner to review tapes and respond in such a way is exceptional. Unfortunately, we already heading out of Sedona when I saw the response. I was not able to take her up on the kind offer.

Original Review - 5/8/2022

I really wish I could share a positive review like many we’ve read here—they prompted us to pop in while visiting Sedona.

Our experience was decidedly different. The cold, indifferent greeting should have been clue enough to turn around and head out, but a man playing guitar encouraged us to give it a shot.

The place is vegan…I didn’t know but it does say so in the description, so that’s on me.

Being told that a cappuccino can only be made with cream? Well that’s a first…and any questions were met with curt, short answers.

The bill for 4 drinks, 1 pastry and 2 chocolates? Over $50, and when presented payment terminal, I was reminded to first input tip amount—very classy.

And the response when I told the barista that she had been short with us?? “OK”

I’m sure there are many alternative cafes in Sedona that we will happily explore.

I won’t waste my...