Cassie C.
Yelp
First, without any qualification, I LOVE the coffee here. My husband and I are here nearly every Saturday morning for his cappuccino, my morning drip and our bag of beans for the week. This morning, we indulged in a ham and cheese croissant and peanut butter toast w/ fresh figs.... AMAZING!! .... and with our morning indulgence, came a side of unpleasantness, possibly motivated by unconscious bias.
Long story short... the $15 bag of beans comes with a free drink, and this morning, we purchased the beans along with my husband's cappuccino, our croissant and toast and my free drip coffee. Apparently, the free drink is a medium, not the large that I ordered (a difference of 4oz). So, after some discussion, the woman at the counter upcharged $1 for the larger drink... except a large is only fifty cents more than a medium. Then she handed me the bag of beans, croissant and drip coffee to juggle in my arms with the peanut butter toast and cappuccino. The woman before me ordered a lone pastry and a drink and was offered a bag with the friendliest of smiles. The woman behind the counter and the customer in front of me were white. I, on the other hand, am not. Coincidence? Quite possibly. Or perhaps unconscious bias.
At no point did the situation become hostile, but it was certainly unpleasant. At the end, a woman (whom I assume is the manager) stressed that the free drink is a "bag drink" (i.e., tea) or medium coffee but she would refund the $1 upcharge for the large drip. The point is not the dollar. I can afford the dollar. The point is the unnecessary unpleasantness and clear inconsistency in treatment of customers.
I grew up in the restaurant and service industry... there's a saying, "give them the pickle." Google it. It's a good story and lesson for life... also a case study for most b-school students focused on the hospitality industry.