Barnes & Noble Cafe
Barnes & Noble Cafe
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Good for Working: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
6 reviews
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Awful place to get coffee. Staff are rude and very incompetent. Barista rolled her eyes at the man in front of me when he ordered his coffee with an accent. I waited 15 minutes for a latte.
I've been here a few times and the staff has always been friendly and nice. Standard B&N food offered and the drinks are fine as well. It's always clean inside and while it seems like there isn't a lot of space, I've always been able to find seating.
After getting a grande coffee I asked for a splash of soy at the end of the bar. I work at a Starbucks and you are only charged for soy if it's over 4 oz in a drink (like a misto, latte, or cappuccino). The cashier then told me thy charge for soy. Saying "It's on the menu." Yes it's on the Starbucks menu as well, but it only applies at 4 oz or more. A splash of soy to cool down a coffee is free. Apparently a couple tablespoons of soy milk is worthy of 60 cents at Barnes and Noble cafe. I thought perhaps she misunderstood and tried to explain that I work at a Starbucks and was going to explain the 4oz thing but she cut me off, rudely replying, "We're not Starbucks." But you serve Starbucks drinks – supposedly according to Starbucks recipes – use the Starbucks label, and charge Starbucks prices. Should you not abide by Starbucks policy when it comes to said Starbucks drinks? So I went over to the carafes of dairy products and began to pour skim milk into my coffee. The same cashier then said "I can go ahead and give you some – oh you already got some milk." Too late. The review is more for her rudeness than said policy. I deal with upset customers all the time – doing it with a smile on your face is part of the job.
Employees were rude and stood around talking. Felt like they were over working there. No good customer service. Rather take the hike up to the real Starbucks and get treated better. They also do not accept Starbucks gift cards
The moans and groans from the other reviewers are right on. This place is the pits. Expect a wait time of 10 minutes to get to the register, 5 to input your order, and another 5 to get it. I'm not sure what's wrong, but like the McDonald's location that I reviewed the other day, this place flouts all that is good in basic queuing theory and logistics.
My fellow reviewers err, however, in pinning this on the employees themselves rather than opting for an organizational/institutional analysis. Clearly, there's either understaffing or inadequate training going on. With some minor tweaks, BNC can easily go from awful to good. And with another, perhaps from good to great, to quote a leading airport bookstore management text. Let's hope because the goods they serve are actually quite good.
MC out.
They're still working out some of the kinks that come with opening a new store (service is a little slow) , but overall this place is great. They're inside the bookstore and offer Starbucks beverages, but their food selection is more like a convenience store. They have lots of pre-packaged foods (energy bars, yogurt, sandwiches, sports drinks, etc.,) but also a bunch of pastries. On nice days they open the front wall of the store and have outside seating. Inside seating is cramped but there is a lot considering the size of the space. There are also a lot of outlets in the seating areas. I don't know how long it's good for, but they currently have an awesome deal where if you buy a cookie or rice Krispy treat (normally around $2.50) you can get any size iced tea or coffee for $3. As I'm both things for only $3. Unfortunately it is way too close to where I work so I will probably be spending way too much money there.