Sonder Coffee — Restaurant in Wendell

We recently discovered Sonder and went yesterday for the 4th time over the last couple months to try a few things. The coffee is probably the best we've found in the area! Great seasonal drinks, and everything has been excellent.

Unfortunately, the service has been pretty abysmal each time due to the waiting time with ordering food. I was with a group of 3 yesterday afternoon and we decided to stop in. We each ordered a coffee and breakfast sandwich to go. We got our drinks quickly but we ended up waiting over 35 minutes for 3 breakfast sandwiches. By the time we received it, we were done with our drinks and we discovered we were also missing a pastry we ordered after we left to top it all off...

I am not someone who minds waiting at all- I expect it to happen on weekends- but there was no mention of this wait from the staff when we placed our order. If there was, we would have either tried to find a place a little out of the way to wait so we weren't blocking foot traffic, or not ordered food at all. (There was literally no place to stand/wait besides directly next to the bar.) Plenty of staff made eye contact with us while waiting for the 30+ minutes but didn't say anything. Again, I completely understand coffee shops are slammed on weekends but just some sort of mention/check in would have been nice.

I would have no complaints at all if there was just a mention that food orders would be over half an hour. Overall, Sonder is excellent if you are just wanting a drink, but I would not recommend ordering any...

Sonder is well-branded and makes, what my wife and I would consider, some of the best lattes in the Triangle. This is saying something, considering we've frequented nearly all of them and have lived here for several years. Their black coffee experience (drip, pour over) is also quite good - because they use high-quality beans. Raleigh Coffee Co., Methodical, and Black and White to be specific.

Two points of constructive feedback from the many times we've visited Sonder; both easily correctable. First, the cleanliness of the shop is a persistent issue. When guests leave, crumbs stay on the tables and we've had to clean it off ourselves often. The trash also sometimes overflows, and water spillage from the carafe usually goes unattended. This unnecessarily dilutes what would otherwise be an impeccable experience. We understand the foot traffic is intense, but a little bit of attention would go a long way.

The second issue is that it can sometimes take a while after walking in and getting into line to be acknowledged / helped at the counter. Again, that's probably a symptom of the heavy foot traffic (we're glad they are so successful!), but it's an area for improvement.

It's an incredible coffee shop and completely worth being a part of your half-day...

Wow! I don’t think I have ever been treated so well at a quick service restaurant before. I stopped in for the first time unsure of what to order, but the woman at the register was super helpful and friendly and helped me find a super delicious latte based on what I told her I like in a coffee (she recommended Orange Dreamsicle!) She also came to check on me later to ensure it was exactly what I had hoped for.

The food was also delicious! We were looking for vegan options online when we found this restaurant, so I ordered the smoothie bowl (yum!) and the avocado toast. I didn’t read the menu closely enough and didn’t realize there was bacon on the avocado toast, so when it came out, they saw my disappointment and immediately insisted that they make me a new one! I found that incredible when it was entirely my own fault for not reading closely enough, but they still brought out a new one for me, and it was some of the best avocado toast I’ve ever had!

When we are in the area again, we will absolutely be stopping in. Delicious food and coffee, amazing service and a calm atmosphere were an overall wonderful experience I can’t stop...