Trace M.
Yelp
I generally dislike writing bad reviews for small businesses, especially ones like Sheza that I want to succeed, but here goes.
I got an iced cappuccino with regular milk that cost $6.75. Very high, but Manhattan prices have desensitized me to high food prices even if Riverdale commercial rents aren't the same as Manhattan's, but not the reason for my gripe and this poor review.
As I was waiting to get my cappuccino, I asked for the Wi-Fi information, and was firmly told by who I assume is the owner, "WE DON'T HAVE WI-FI!" Imagine my dismay. A coffee shop that doesn't have Wi-Fi - what a novelty! My intention was to spend an hour getting work done on my laptop before meeting with someone to get going with my day. But I simply left the place, and decamped to Dunkin' Donuts that had ample, available Wi-Fi.
My sense is that this place has maybe experienced students from Mount Saint Vincent's buying one drink or pastry (pastry was plastic wrapped and didn't look fresh by the way) and staying for hours and hours. That's what people do in coffee shops! If you don't want that to happen, my suggestion is to find smart, clever ways around that as a business owner that doesn't make people feel personally offended and discriminated against. I'm sure some coffee shops have figured this out. Learn from that and implement it in a good, democratic way.
I took "WE DON'T HAVE WI-FI" at face value not "we don't have Wi-Fi at the moment because our connection is down" or "we don't have Wi-Fi because we decided to do away with it as a new initiative". I was also offended because who knows if the owner is saying one thing to me about the lack of Wi-Fi while saying something else to other customers. I think an earlier review on Yelp mentioned that the place has good, strong Wi-Fi, so I'm only left to assume.
Quite the disappointment because my $6.75 cappuccino was actually good. The decor is also vibe-y, but bad, unequal service and ungood energy makes for a bad, unwelcoming experience.