Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox — Restaurant in Virginia

I desperately want this place to become my morning coffee shop go to. The bagel sandwiches are solid (not NYC-good but let's tamper our expectations a little bit), the coffee is great, the location is awesome, the prices are excellent and c'mon people, let's support our small businesses. But all that said, not matter how hard I try to will it into existence, I just can't justify coming back because every time, it is so...so....slow. Especially when you order food (which is sad because the food's tasty!).

Every time, I just assume I have bad luck because this place has been around for a while so I must just be catching them on a bad day. But somehow, I can't seem to visit without it taking more minutes than I expect. My most recent example? Sunday morning. I know it's going to be slow (duh, it's a weekend). They know it's going to be slow (I was even warned when I ordered, "your food it will probably take 10-15 minutes"). But I didn't expect it to take 10 minutes for an iced coffee and 37 minutes for two sausage, egg and cheese bagels. I mean, when I went up to check after 25 minutes I'd assumed I had missed my name being called but nope, bagels were still in progress.

It's obvious the folks behind the counter are working hard and are doing things as fast as they can which is why I keep holding out hope. But at the end of the day, I just can't commit to stopping in for coffee and a bagel sandwich knowing there's a reasonable chance I'll spend upwards of 30-45...

I ventured into PERK! last week. I was addressed efficiently and politely--not in a fake, "my name is Tommy and I'm going to be your server-kind-of-way," but like my sister might ask me on Christmas morning, "would you like a cup of coffee?" Interested and ready to get you one. I ordered a cappuccino and looked around as I waited. As I surveyed the creative children's play area and what was going on all around me, I thought about how uninviting other places can be. At PERK! you can comfortably come in and have your moment no matter who you happen to be or be with. The coffee is very good. Temperature, beans, and blend were accurate and flavorful. I had an egg, turkey sausage, and havarti breakfast sandwich that was warm and pressed, delightful. I'm so thankful that I grabbed a pimento cheese sandwich for lunch to-go. I could only eat half of it, but what a half (my daughter won the extra prize for her after school snack and LOVED the ham and pickles). PERK! delivers on its mission--to bring a downtown feel to Bon Air. I care about where I spend and I left feeling like I invested in a neighborhood (and scored a remarkable...

This place has seriously gone downhill in the last year or so. For a while, there was a staff that seemed to be the glue that held this place together despite whatever top-down issues it has. But, a business can't selfishly rely on a few talented workhorses overcompensating for the rest of the staff, the pay, and whatever other issues. Eventually those people get burnt out or move on to better gigs. That's my best guess at to why the only good thing about Perk now is the local old school cozy cafe decor and that it used to be great. The coffees I've had the last several times have been undrinkably bad and taste nothing like they used to. The staff is a mixed bag of mostly rude people who aren't suited for working at a place with rushes and constant business, and a few clearly stressed ones trying to compensate. The bad drinks aren't as much of a deterrent as the attitudes of over half the staff at this point. I'm not the only one saying it. It's a problem that'll likely grow, because I assume the owners are at the root of all the problems making Perk suck. Good employees stay when they get paid enough and have...