Elcin O.
Yelp
Out of all the coffee places I can drive to, it grinds (pun intended) down to mainly 3 reasons why I continue coming here: they have what I like, it's relatively close to me, and the baristas have good energy. This is what dictates my 5 star rating. There's another coffee shop near me that's on par with Finjan but I come here because they have an organic whole milk option for lattes.
It's also important to know what you value and see your biases and adjust for them accordingly to provide a more accurate, full-bodied brew, I mean review. I try my best to become cognizant of the relevant data pieces that may skew my view: my ethnicity is Turkish and my work background entails a A LOT of top notch customer service in a fast-paced environment. So if I was not aware and did not account for it, I'd write an unhelpful biased review that went something like this: "I've had better Turkish baklava in Türkiye and the Turkish coffee is not as good as the cup I make at home. The baristas' less than Michelin-starred customer service warrant no tip."
If I chose to come into Finjan with my previous experiences, expectations, and conditioning on my high horse wearing my filtered glasses, then the products and service will never be good enough for me.
With all that said, here's my attempt at some objective observations as a regular at Finjan:
It's a relatively small space for a coffee shop compared to other coffee shops I've been to. If you like a 6-foot bubble of space around you at all times, this place is not for you.
They play all different types of music, sometimes it's soft and occasionally it sounds pretty loud.
I see people studying or working on laptops sometimes. I personally wouldn't be able to focus and I don't prefer to have deep study/work time in environments where all my senses can be easily distracted.
If you go early in the morning, you can smell the baklava coming out of the oven and enjoy it warm. Yum!
The menu has classic coffee items along with some really interesting creations that pique my curiosity and have me deviate from my usual iced vanilla bean latte.
I believe this is the only place in San Diego that offers a unique brewing of Turkish coffee in the sand. There use to be a place in Del Mar called, Bohemian Alchemist, that use to have it but they closed down. Such a bummer because I loved their concept.
I've come at different times of the day and I have experienced both long and very short wait times. If you want a more specific range on how long the wait can be, order through the app and it will give you the estimate range of when your order will be ready.
Some special items take longer to make than others. If you can't accept this, then a part of you is in denial of reality, my friend.
My personal belief is the pricing is pretty on point. I think they've positioned themselves quite well with competitors in the San Diego market. Some of their items are pretty pricey but you have to remind yourself that they are running a small business and they wouldn't be able to continue offering what they offer at the same level and quality if they lost money in the process of making it.
For the business:
I LOVE the concept and the branding. The coffee "bar" use of shakers, jiggers, and spherical ice cubes adds a classy, elevated feel. I also enjoy the creative names for some of the drinks. "Ahmed Palmer" had me dying lol!
Most baristas are lovely and friendly and I'm sure the more new hires will grow into their own with time. I've frequented a lot of coffee shops and I've noticed some establishments have really great coffee but the employees have an air of snobbiness to them and take their sweet time to decide when your drink gets made. Please don't become like them!
It's a huge challenge to change the view of the typical "get my coffee through a drive-thru fast and make it Amazon-Walmart cheap and don't talk to me until I've had my coffee" demographic that's so prevalent in urban environments. But a big part of coffee/tea culture in middle-east/Eurasian cultures are known for hospitality and slowing down and enjoying being in the present moment with company...and I'd like to see Finjan stay true to this.
Politely remind guests, consistently, that certain items take longer to make. Because they'll either not know or forget.
Get all the baristas on at least on the same level of minimum customer service.
Define what above and beyond excellent customer service is for your company. It can be in the little things that can make a huge difference for example, a customer orders a Turkish pot of tea...does it wait to be picked up at the end of the bar? Or does it arrive hand-served with warmth and a smile at the table of the one who ordered it?
Make use of the glass divider where people wait in line by putting up on-brand infographics about some of the unique items you want to showcase that sets you apart.