Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea — Restaurant in South Carolina

I was very excited to try this new place in Indian Land. I invited my sister who was visiting from out of town. She looked at the menu online and told me she wanted an espresso macchiato. I ordered her coffee and a barista out of nowhere starts complaining about my choice and told me (using a very rude tone) that they couldn’t make that there because that was a term made up by Starbucks. What?! My sister was on the phone listening to the conversation and told me she saw it on the menu and texted a screenshot of the menu. I could tell the other two employees were mortified. The cashier said “she is right, it’s here in the cashier machine” and the barista started complaining once again about my choice and how upset he was at Starbucks for inventing such a term. I was in total shock because of the barista’s rude attitude. I told him it was on the menu and he better clarify that with someone because most likely it was going to happen again. The. the barista started complaining about working for a “franchise” and that was a “franchise” problem. I was so disappointed and mortified. I couldn’t believe I suggested this place. I ordered two espressos instead. The barista made them for me. And took one of them back. I stood there waiting for my other espresso and the nice employee from the drive through gave it back to me.

I wanted to support this new place but unfortunately I won’t. I can’t deal with rude employees who don’t know anything...

Overall great place, good coffee, tea and treats...and very courteous customer service. However, the only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5 is due to seeing an employee the other night not take thier job seriously enough when it came to closing up and washing the floors properly. In all honesty, my preteen child actually does a better job of cleaning floors. Everyone else at closing, on the nights I've been here, does a superb job of keeping everything clean and really washing the floors. This person just barely wrung the mop out and dangled the tips of the mop head on specific areas of the floor and called it. Didn't even sweep prior. Call me meticulously crazy, but we live in a time where illness easily runs more rampant than we can blink an eye at. We need to be mindful of cleanliness everywhere we go from washing our hands constantly (which these employees do well...I watch this stuff. I used to work in the food industry.) to making sure floors are well cleaned. Daily, and sometimes more than once in the event of good spills. All this is to generally say that the overall experience at Sweetwater's is great. I just had a little issue with one employee just not owning thier part in the job they were hired to do, and it showed. Customers do...

I'm a regular at this Sweetwater location, and I can't recommend it enough! It's truly a 10/10 experience every time. The customer service here is consistently outstanding, and the coffee is always top-notch. I especially want to give a huge shout-out to two of the staff members, Lexi and Carly. They are both absolutely fantastic and a big part of why I keep coming back. Lexi always greets me with a smile, remembers my go-to order (a Chai Latte with espresso - which is always made perfectly!), and is so engaging and happy. She even offers great suggestions for new things to try, which I really appreciate. Carly is also wonderful; she's always so friendly and takes the time to chat, even when I'm just quickly passing through the drive-thru. It's this kind of personal touch that makes all the difference. Beyond the amazing staff and delicious, quality coffee, Sweetwater is also just a fantastic place to be. The atmosphere inside is perfect for getting work done – comfortable and inviting. Plus, they often have special events like trivia and live music, which really adds to the community feel. If you're looking for a coffee shop with exceptional service, great drinks, and a welcoming environment, you absolutely have to check...