Black Rock Coffee Bar — Restaurant in Washington

Gosh dang it I want to like this place! I at least love the people at the Mt Hood Community College location.... but really Vancouver location get your act together.

If I come in, it's not busy inside but there are three cars in the drive thru it is NOT busy. One gal was super nice and she was new. She didn't even help me directly she came up because she could see I was frustrated when the other workers were too self absorbed. She gets one star.... the other star is for the cleanliness of the location!

Other than that. Ugh. At least you carry my lychee pineapple tea I love. I decided to come here instead of the big competitor S@$$/^&* that shall not be named but at least knows how to make good drinks! Ugh... again.

So I order a drink for my mom as a gift... pretty simple. Large extra sweet mocha... when asked for clarification i said she loves chocolate so please chocolate it up. He said he understood. I get the drink and it tastes like burnt coffee.... no chocolate. So I said no I paid extra for more chocolate please at least do that.... after a huff from the barista she put one tiny scoop more in... um wth is your problem? I paid $5.50 for a cup of coffee with chocolate and milk... so freaking make the darn thing right and don't huff when you get it wrong!!!!!

Then I order an extra large extra sweet sf zebra mocha... I can tell they need help so I ask what kind of milk they use...2%... um newsflash yo barista that adds more sugar!!!! You need to do SF as breve... so i pay more for extra sweet (bc sugar free syrups just don't have as much flavor), more for breve... so now my freaking coffee drink is almost $7. I almost canceled and went to get a burger.

Anyway that drink finally comes and goes swear she used non fat because it tastes like burnt coffee water. I ask for more sweet and she huffs again. I didn't even bother explaining the flavor plain sucked!

Look stick with Red Bull/Rockstars/hot tea here because apparently you're asking too much to have your expensive a$$ drink made right at this location! Don't waste your money.... find a Dutch Bros that understands customer service even if you have to drive a ways or go to Starbucks! If you like plain coffee, go to McDonalds!!!! Sick of arguing to get a decent cup of expensive coffee for the same...

I am a big fan of Black Rock, and have been in many of their locations in the metro area, but since this is the one I frequent most often, I will leave my review here! Things I like about Black Rock in general: Their coffee is bold, without tasting burnt, like those other guys... Black Rock stores are simple. It's all about coffee, a few excellent pastry options, and a place to gather or work. Again, not cluttered with a bunch of junk, like their well known competition... Black Rock's staff is exceptional in every store I have been to. A more personal story about this particular location: I have a vocal cord disorder that has impacted my voice for a few years. My voice is very quiet, obviously not functioning at an optimal level. I was VERY impressed one day, after having frequenting the location a number of times, when one of the team members asked if I would mind telling him about my voice issue. Usually I give a quick response, but I could tell he was genuine in his question, so I gave a more thorough explanation. First of all, what a gutsy thing to ask, and I applaud him in his humanity and care. Second of all, it was cool to watch a couple of other team members I often see there, turn to listen to my response. I have worked in the hospitality industry for years. It is nearly impossible to teach people to show empathy and genuine care. You just have to hire people who are empathetic and caring, and teach them the other skills needed for their position. From what I have seen and experienced, Black Rock leadership has mastered this. Keep up...

I pulled up to the location and saw a line of about 6? cars but the one at the window was just leaving. Most BR's are quick and efficient so I wasn't terribly worried. (Going inside wasn't an option as I wasn't going to take my 2 young children out of the car.) I was in line for about 15 minutes before it was my turn to order! The cashier/barista was friendly and my coffee was great but I don't often have that amount of time to grab coffee somewhere, especially since the design of the location makes you unable to leave once you get in line.

I was VERY surprised to see that there were no boards promoting their products to those waiting in line! And you Order & Pickup at the same window! Perhaps if customers had a menu board or two to look at while waiting, they can have their order ready for the cashier instead of getting to the window and then looking at what was offered. This would allow the line to move faster, thus creating a more efficient system.

Just a suggestion. Because I won't be coming back to this one if I...