Lu Lu Beans — Restaurant in Willmar

Mostly super cool as far as atmosphere, and I will likely visit again, but the experience before I left bumped the rating down for me.

Originally I was asked if I wanted my coffee in a to-go cup or in a mug which included refills for as long as we were there. I chose a mug since my new friend and I would be chatting for a while as we ate supper and sipped coffee.

We got carried away in the upstairs library (loved that space), and I didn't make my way back for refills until they notified us it was near closing time. We brought our plates and cups down, and I asked if I could have my refill in a to-go cup since the place was closing. The friendly girl who waited on me asked someone more in charge who said no. When I asked why, she said it was because it's an extra materials cost of the to-go cup ... which I totally didn't get because that's what they were going to give me in the first place! But it didn't seem to matter. So I asked for a refill in my mug and stood there drinking it as fast as I could while they swept and cleaned around me (it was not quite closing time, so it wasn't like we were keeping the staff there any later--in which case I would not have even asked).

Maybe businesses are more generous where I come from, but I am not used to that. Sometimes a to-go cup is offered by the wait staff when I am leaving (as long as it wasn't a specialty drink made by a barista). If I ask, I have never been refused a to-go coffee in a place that offered refills.

To me, what I experienced was not customer service--especially after buying rather expensive pre-prepared meals from a refrigerated case and regularly brewed coffee from thermal dispensers (and still giving a good tip up front despite being largely self-service)!

Who knows--perhaps the person in charge was having a bad day, or maybe the owners have made inflexible policies. But at least the food was tasty, the coffee was good, and the...

This converted residence is a very unique place to get sweet eats and coffee, coffee drinks, smoothies, and the like. I've never been too impressed by the seating, service or some of the clients, to be a bit snotty about it though. Inside it is a bit of a maze, so finding an outlet for your PC can be a challenge. They offer several brews but the one I wanted was empty (Peruvian) both times I tried to pump it. The service person sort of glared at me when I asked about it, like I was bothering her with my request. For cream, they had this 16 ounce coffee mug you were expected to pour from, and it was damn near impossible to do so without leaving drips everywhere but in your cup! Brain dead. This place seems to have a crowd of regulars, who take up a large table and talk about whatever they saw last night on Fox, Sean Hannity, or heard on Rush Limbaugh...you decide for yourself if you want to hear that brain-trust discussion. Bring your earpods if not. The outside seat is pretty nice, with some trellises and cafe tables. Parking isn't overly generous and you might have to walk down the street block a bit at times. There is a drive through service also. I'd like to say I liked the place more but for me, it does have some drawbacks. In Willmar, I'd go...

I was so excited to bring my daughter and the rest of my family (7 of us) to experience LULU Beans.. as my daughter is visiting from Norway and my sons girlfriend had never been. We ordered over $70 of food and drinks, & went to sit down. 2 of the kids are picky, and went to get subway. We didn’t see the sign about no outside food. We completely understand that policies are policies, that’s not the issue. The disappointing part is that the girl that came to kick us out was so rude. It could have been handled so much better. With grace and understanding….instead of disrespect, bummer 😔 I tried to explain to my daughter that this wasn’t a true representation of how LuLu Beans has always been. Just one or 2 workers not showing good customer service can really ruin the whole experience. We were able to get permission from a sit down restaurant across the street so we were all still able to eat together as a family. I saw several signs posted about “be nice to workers” but maybe there should one saying “be nice to your customers…even when you’re...