Kaitlin B.
Yelp
I have been going to Mothership in Green Valley for three years as I live down the street. It's super convenient as I live in walking distance. Typically, I go at least once a week on one of my mornings off. I usually get a bourbon vanilla latte and an almond blueberry danish. It's always had the quiet, neighborhood vibes that I enjoy. Sometimes, I go on my own. Sometimes, I take my dog for a walk up there and sit on the patio.
For the entirety of the time that I've been going here, if I've been by myself with my dog, it's been no issue to walk in and order my coffee before going back out to the outside seating area. It wasn't uncommon to see other people walk in with dogs to order and on occasion, I've even seen people sit inside with their small dogs. Mothership seemed to support this as they kept dog treats at the register and the ladies working there would always comment on how cute the dogs are. I even met the district manager one time there and she came and pet my dog and we had a lovely chat about how great of a job mothership does.
Fast forward to today, I walked the few blocks up to mothership. I walked in to order my coffee. My dog laid down by my feet while I waited in line. Before I could order my coffee, the barista told me dogs weren't allowed inside. Genuinely curious since this has never been an issue before, I asked if that recently changed. He said, it recently had and pointed to the door where they've now added a small no dogs sign. No problem. He was polite enough and I get it. I'm sure someone complained about it or now that the company is expanding, the health department is cracking down. Either way, I respect the business and now that I know they don't allow it anymore, I won't bring my dog inside.
My only critique that I'd like to provide is that at the end of that conversation. I said "oh. Well, I'm by myself today, so I guess I can't get my coffee." The gentleman I'd been dealing with just shrugged, so I left. No purchase. No clear resolution. When I got home, I went to look online and it turns out they have an app that you can order through. Maybe the suggestion should have been "Hey. Yeah, this is a recent change, but you can download our app and order from the outside seating in the future." That might help them avoid losing both current and future sales. Or maybe genuinely, they are so busy that they don't care if they lose the sales. Either way, a little bummed to have walked there and back and not been able to get a coffee.
Ultimately, I think this is a lovely business concept with good coffee and pastries. They've always been kind to me (and my dog) and I wish them nothing but continued success. Based on their rate of expansion as a corporation, it looks like they're doing quite well. :)