Jessica W.
Yelp
I WANT to love Gone Wired (or, as they've re-branded themselves, The Avenue). I really do. It reminds me of a coffee shop I was in love with (Krankies in Winston-Salem, NC) in a town where I used to live. It's big, has free wi-fi, it's locally owned and operated. I wholeheartedly support all of those things. However, I've been disappointed by them so many times at this point that it's hard to keep trying.
I'm sitting here writing this review after attempting to stop by The Avenue this morning to get some work done, only to find out they are not open now until 10AM. I realize that re-branding themselves as a coffee shop/bar (which is an odd combination, by the way) might have changed some things, but the baristas/bartenders always insisted the only change would be that they also now have a full bar. Apparently, that was untrue. If The Avenue is going to continue to operate as a coffee shop at all, opening up at 10AM is far too late.
In addition, the food at The Avenue is VERY hit-or-miss. I've gone in several times and had an awesome, awesome breakfast or lunch. Another time, I went in and (based on a menu sign at the counter) ordered a "Homeless Grilled Cheese," which was advertised to contain basil, tomato, and a couple of different kinds of cheese. I received a plain grilled cheese. When I went to the cook to complain, he insisted the food was correct. I almost brought him the sign from the counter, but decided it wasn't worth it. The Breakfast Burrito has been both awesome and terrible. I just never know which I'm going to get. Perhaps I could remedy this if I got to know the cooks (and which ones were good), but I think The Avenue really needs to strive for consistency in the food. I've thrown out a few meals there, as it is.
Service can be great, or it can be slow. The coffee is generally pretty good, although nothing to write home about. The servers have always been very friendly to me, but sometimes just don't seem like they're in much of a hurry. I don't expect lightning fast, but sometimes, the pace is glacial.
Finally, on this web page, and in the store, I've had the unfortunate occasion to witness some real nastiness on the part of the owner. Her responses to the negative reviews are really unprofessional for a business owner (personal attacks are absolutely and totally uncalled for). I've also been in the cafe when there was a large table of men who hadn't purchased anything, and Colleen came up to kick them out. Telling them that they needed to order something or leave was totally justified. The way she handled it, however, was shocking. She berated them, was mean, rude, and nasty. After she left, I heard all of the guys saying that if she had asked politely, they would have simply ordered something. She could have handled it in a way that gained her some business instead of (undoubtedly) losing it.
All of that said, I'll probably keep going to Gone Wired/The Avenue in the hopes that it will live up to my expectations someday. Right now, it's not bad, but has some weak aspects that the staff really need to improve.