Jane D.
Yelp
This morning the line was long. Eventually, the barista started asking for orders, so I went up to the window after waiting in line for my turn and she aggressively told me to step aside. She then began taking the orders of the people behind me. It was baffling. When I spoke up and told her, and the people around me that we had been skipped, she gestured for me to come up to her window, then smirked and said she can't take my order cause her bar was full. I stepped aside, then the cashier next to her smiled at me and told me to be patient. I was livid, obviously the bar was full because they skipped me multiple times?? I was clearly first in line and up next, but was blatantly skipped by the female barista. Mistakes happen, but instead of apologizing or remedying the situation by prioritizing my order, they berated me and implied I was being impatient, even tho I actually waited in line unlike the people behind me. At this point they lost my business so I walked away.
I spoke to the manager, and he was immediately defensive & said his team doesn't have the ability to manage the line when it gets chaotic and busy. He implied there was *nothing* he could do. Here's some suggestions:
1. Invest in stanchions to facilitate the lines so the baristas aren't treating this like the wild west
2. Train your staff to KINDLY direct patrons, the women in front of me was rudely told off for waiting near the line, instead of simply being told just to step off to the side until her order was ready. She confided this to me after she saw what happened to me, and said she was scared to say anything back in case the staff decides to retaliate. yikes.
I am a regular customer at Philz, not just because of the drinks, but the customer service is bar none. However, this truck clearly focuses on taking as many orders as possible, versus customer satisfaction, and this is evidently weighing on the team, particularly the female barista who always looks angry and flustered anytime there's a line.
It'd be great if the truck owner takes in this feedback objectively and realizes that his current system is detrimental to not just customers but his employees, who are cleary frustrated, as they lack the tools to handle long rushes. Contrary to what he thinks, he has every ability to implement some changes to improve the experience for EVERYONE, including his staff.
TLDR; If you come to this truck, feel free to cut the line, and as long as you step aside, the staff won't bother you much.
