Jessica R.
Yelp
So I've been here a number of times over the past year, have friends here and really like the drinks, especially the sparkling kava and the rotational offerings. I can't usually handle the numbing of kava but their mocktails do a good job of making drinking it actually palatable.
Da Kine's is a much needed alcohol alternative for Durham and those of us who don't drink alcohol, with generally great people and interesting drink offerings.
Unfortunately for a place that tries so hard with its plants and its music and decor to cultivate mahalo vibes the energy as of late is noticeably different, the upper Management has been antagonistic, pouty and seemingly walks around looking for any little excuse to instigate conflict with the same customers and employees that help make the space, even over tiny issues. The fights cause far more damage to the business than they solve and you can even tell when someone is pacing around, just looking for the opportunity. On one occasion recently the Management started individually and publicly telling patrons he was no longer Mr. Nice Guy and that it was "gloves off" but couldn't articulate exactly what was even wrong, other than some vague sense that some people didn't move back chairs when they were done. Telling some people apparently that theres a group of people on the "inside" and others who are on the "outside". Just very othering language and weird to be telling patrons, especially in a place that prides itself on community. Everyone was a bit confused and more than one person has these stories.The whole thing felt kind of angsty and adolescent. Its not clear what caused the whole tough guy routine - with a floral backdrop no less! - but it at times seems like Management is lashing out unrelated personal frustrations onto the customers/employees and spending what must be unhealthy amounts of time pouring over and surveilling camera footage, an odd level of engagement for someone otherwise checked out of the business. Multiple people have mentioned having weird camera related incidents relating to the owner...
It's a shame, Da Kine's/Plant Mamas is predominantly woman-operated and really runs with that, creating a space that at its best showcases that femininity and sisterhood in the most positive and uplifting ways, a lush dispensery/kava bar with knowledgable staff, creative Kava and Kratom drinks and a great overall vibe. But the energy, both personally and from what has been said by regulars/employees, over the past few months is not what it was and people have mentioned it feeling slightly persecutory and driven by petty power/control/emotional issues, even when the people who go there and work there are usually delightful and don't come there to watch a grown man pout at the bar like a kid. And no one seems to know why the attitude shift. Hopefully this goes away, it would be a tragedy to watch a place cannibalize everything its worked to build over the years, especially when there is no compelling reason for it to do so.