Vienna Simply Social Coffee — Restaurant in Vienna

I had a deeply upsetting experience at this coffee shop that I feel obligated to share—not just for myself, but for others who’ve faced the same treatment. And judging by the other reviews, I am not the only one. If you check the reviews, you’ll see that many people have had similar issues with the same manager. Her rudeness and unprofessionalism are a pattern, not a one-time incident.

Here’s what happened: I had a lot of work to do and needed a quiet place to focus. I first stopped by a different café to get a sandwich, but their coffee machine was broken. So, I took my sandwich and went to this coffee shop to get a drink and sit down to work. I did not come in without buying something—I ordered water, then a coffee, and I sat down quietly to work. Yes, I had a sandwich from somewhere else, and I understand that it’s not ideal to bring outside food—but I was trying to finish urgent work and didn’t expect what happened next.

The owner came up to me and immediately started speaking to me in a rude and condescending way, saying it’s not okay to bring outside food and I’m “showing other brands” in her café. I politely told her I didn’t know and that I was sorry. I even offered to leave right away if that’s what she wanted. She said, “No, I’ll let you stay this time, but don’t do it again.” I thanked her and tried to go back to my work, thinking that was the end of it.

But it wasn’t. She kept talking at me !making gestures with her hands and repeating that what I did was “not acceptable” and asking me, “You understand, right? You understand?” over and over again. At this point, I felt humiliated and uncomfortable. So, I stood up calmly, packed my sandwich, and told her, “Actually, I’ll just leave.” She continued to insist that I was wrong, her tone and body language full of attitude and disrespect. I told her I didn’t need the coffee anymore, and she refunded me—but with more unnecessary rudeness.

I left feeling shaken and humiliated. I later called the store to speak to her privately and explained that I’ve been going through a very difficult time. I recently lost my sister and had a miscarriage. This was the first day I pushed myself to go outside. I told her that kindness is free and that I had been nothing but polite to her. Her response? “I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m going to hang up now.” And she did.

This is not how you treat people. This is not how you speak to paying customers—especially when they are being respectful. The way she embarrassed me in front of others, the coldness she showed even after hearing about my pain, and the complete lack of empathy or professionalism was shocking.

Again, I urge anyone reading this to check the other reviews—so many customers have complained about this owner's attitude. It’s honestly unbelievable this continues to happen. People in Virginia are known for being warm and respectful, and this experience was the opposite of that.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy your coffee and get work done without being judged, mistreated, or humiliated, I strongly recommend...

First of all, I want to say I love the staff at this café, most of them are super kind and they even remembered my name when I used to walk in. I used to frequent this café at least twice per week and I loved the atmosphere and the cozy vibe, however, I had a little incident days ago, I walked into the store and I ordered my usual as always, then I proceeded to get some work done on my computer, not even two hours past, when a lady comes to me asking me to leave, I asked her why and she said that computers are not allowed, and that I've stayed for too long. I told her that there was no sign on the tables, walls or website that said the place has a limit hour stayed and there were more tables avaliable for other guests. She said that those were the rules and I needed to leave right now.

I am a manger of a café and I completely understand when my guests stay for so long and there are new more people coming and those people find no sitting, It would be considerate if the previous guests would give up their sitting if they want to do so, therefore the new guests coming in can have a place to sit and enjoy the café too. But even then, if the previous costumers don't want to do so then it's completely understandable since they are also costumers and they have the right to stay.

That morning when she came to me I made sure to check there were more tables avaliable since I didn't want to be inconsiderate with other guests. There was more sitting avaliable. Also, the thing that actually accommodated me the most was her tone, it was rude and loud so everyone in the room knew what was going on. I felt super embarrassed and I asked her if I could please stayed a bit longer since I wanted to get more coffee and finish my class, she then gave me an awful look and said that I needed to leave and computers were not allowed, they guy right next to me was on his computer and he was aware of the whole scene so he said to her that he didn't know that computers were not allow, the lady contradicts herself saying: "don't worry you can stay and use your computer because I just saw you coming in, but she, she's been here forever!". Everyone was looking at us and I just felt so embarrassed, I didn't want to waist more time from my class and I left immediately and tried to find another café close to me. I don't understand how they can talk about rules that they don't enforce equally (like the computer rule), there were no signs neither inside the place or their website at that time regarding a limit of time that you can stay, and her attitude was not approachable at all. I even wanted to buy more coffee and I was kicked out. I've been to so many cafes and I've never faced this uncomfortable experience. Sadly, I would never come to this...

I visited this coffee shop hoping to find my new go-to breakfast spot, but I was extremely disappointed—mainly due to the owner’s attitude. When I asked how long it would take for a breakfast bowl, she responded, “How long does it take you to cook eggs at home?”—a completely unnecessary and condescending remark. I’ve never experienced that kind of response from an establishment before.

Later, I ordered a Danish croissant, but it was hard and cold—so much so that I couldn’t even bite into it. I politely asked one of the staff members if it could be warmed up, and he kindly agreed. However, I noticed the owner looked visibly annoyed at him. When the pastry was done heating, she grabbed it and told me, “We don’t heat pastries because they have fruit in them.” It was such an odd, almost reprimanding response, especially since nearly every other café I’ve been to warms up Danishes without issue. For the record, the pastry tasted great warm but was nearly inedible cold. Instead of being dismissive, the owner should take customer feedback seriously.

After reading other reviews, I noticed a pattern: the owner frequently responds to negative feedback with excuses, condescending remarks, and blame-shifting. I have yet to see her take accountability or offer a genuine apology. This is concerning, and potential customers should take note—when multiple people point out the same issues, perhaps it’s time for change. Unfortunately, I regret spending my money here, and I won’t...