Elitist Coffee — Restaurant in South Orange

I was looking forward to experiencing the vibe of Elitist Coffee; however, I was completely underwhelmed by the overrall experience.

The atmosphere and decor is very nice and the establishment has great music. My co- worker and I used the space to work on a project, which was great because there is a ton of space to do so.

The food was just ok, nothing to write home about. I ordered a hot chocolate, croissant with turkey bacon and scrambled egg and cheese. The hot chocolate tasted like nutmeg and cinnamon mixed with milk. I wasn't able to finish it because of the taste. When my food order came out there was no cheese on the croissant. I wasn't going to say anything about it; however, my co- worker insisted that I should bring it to their attention, boy was she wrong.

I politely walked over to the register and a woman who appeared to be the owner/manager asked if she could assist me with anything. I informed her that my breakfast sandwich didn't have cheese on it although I ordered it. She looked at two of the servers and asked who took my order. The server who took my order shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't know. I was baffled. The owner/manager then said "well I don't know what I can do now because you already have your food" In my mind I'm thinking, you can put a piece of cheese on it. I then said, "Well I paid for cheese and the sandwich didn't have it" That's when the server who had previously had amnesia about serving me says, "I didn't put cheese on it" oh now she remembers. Confused was an understatement. Then the owner/manager asks, "Well can you eat it without cheese"? At that point I was mentally perplexed and done with the situation. My co- worker who was now on line ordering her food gave me a look as if to say "wow"

When we got back to our table and continued to work and talked about the lack of concern from business owners. The server eventually came over to our table and apologized for not adding cheese. I was appreciative of the gesture but was unsure as to why she didn't have the same approach in front of the owner/manager.

I personally won't patronize the establishment again; however, I think if you need a beautiful space to work and reflect with a tea or coffee this place is a good option. I wouldn't recommend ordering food and don't except great customer service.

P.S. My co- worker also had an issue with her food and had to...

Beware of this business, the owners Sharon and Shauna Arnette are truly ELITIST. So the name Elitist coffee is quite befitting. My partner and I went to grab coffee and lunch at their cafe as we've been doing every Friday for the past three months after discovering them. Unfortunately, because of the poor service that we received today we will NOT BE RETURNING.

I ordered two coffees, one pastry and a jalapeño Cajun turkey sandwich. All of which costs me around 30 dollars including the tip. After taking one bite of the sandwich, immediately my mouth started burning. I opened the sandwich and noticed they cut small pieces of what had to be an entire jalapeño and put it inside the sandwich. The spice was immensely overpowering and too spicy to enjoy. I apologized and kindly asked the barista if I can exchange for something else. She went to ask the owner Shauna and she came over and said I can give you a discount but not a refund. I explained that I did not want a refund but it would be unfair to pay for something I barely ate. In an attempt not to be combative, I kindly asked the barista perhaps if their was someone else I could speak to. While I waited at the table, Shauna aggressively came over and said " if I give you a pastry, it will come out of my paycheck but sure go for it". So I asked her, did you say it will come out of your paycheck?" She repeated herself, shrugged her shoulders all while rolling her eyes. Not only was this comment uncalled for, but it was rude and embarrassing. We left without eating anything after spending 30 dollars. I should also mention that I told her I'm leaving a review and she said she didn't care.

This coffee shop supposedly prides itself on being for the community but these women do not know how to run a business. They are rude, unkind and do not value their patrons. Unfortunately they've now lost two consistent customers. We will not support rude business owners. Shauna Arnette said it would come out of her paycheck to give me something in exchange for what I couldn't eat. Not realizing that I spent my hard earned money to support their business. Don't waste...

I love this cafe, or at least I thought I did. My great experiences were turned upside down when I went here on a Thursday afternoon to work. I got my usual coffee and a pastry. My partner got the cuban coffee, which is always delicious, and their turkey jalapeño sandwich.

The sandwich comes out and it looks like it may be good. Covered in jalapenos and cajun seasonings, it was too d*mn spicy to enjoy. Like unbearably spicy! I told my partner to see if she could get something else, since it was unbearable to enjoy. She likes spice, but not to this degree. The manager/owner went on to tell her that there was nothing she could do, and if she was to give her a pastry or accommodate her, it would come out of her paycheck. I’m guessing she didn’t realize the $30 we just spent actually came out of our paychecks as well. As a business owner, you should accommodate your patrons and try to make it right. They wanted us to spend more money on top of the money we had already spent, in order to be accommodated. My partner wasn’t asking for her money back or another sandwich, just management decorum, and class, in which Shauna so terribly lacked.

I now know where they got the name Elitist from, not because the service is Elite-but because they portray an elitist attitude towards their hard-working patrons. Needless to say, I won’t be coming here any longer as I’ll be taking my talents to...