Empresso Coffee House

Reviews 3

PI

Pismo Shou

Unfortunately, on the 1st day of my New Year, I had a pretty bad experience (once again mind you) at Empresso Coffeehouse. Let me first start off by saying I really think this place is cool. I like the array of events that happen there and the majority of people who frequent the spot seem to be artistic & peaceful. Its the customer service & attitude from certain staff members that is the problem. Not all of them....but certain ones for sure. I tend not to go to Empresso Coffeehouse so often anymore due to several other past incidents that happened there with staff but after a year or 2 hiatus from this place, Ive recently tried to let bygones be bygones & started to visit the place once or twice a month again. But todays incident took the cake.....literally & just reenforced the reason why I stopped going there in the first place. I went in this place of business to purchase several pastries for me and my family to enjoy for New Years. The cashier by the name of Tiffany was helping a white lady in front of me. The service she provided to the lady before me seemed to be pretty good & fair. But I immediately noticed a not so friendly vibe from Tiffany once it was my turn for assistance. Maybe shes having a bad day or a hang over from last nights New Years festivities but whatever it is, she seemed to be not so friendly specifically towards me. I overlooked her unfriendly demeanor and waited....& waited for her to at least say hello or how can I help you. After about 30-45 uncomfortable seconds of me standing right in front of her while she acted as if she didnt see me there, she finally looked up and says "Do you need something?" I brushed that off as well and told her yes while pointing to the piece of pastry that I wanted. She looked at the pastry as if she was frustrated, then asked, "Is that all you want?". I told her that Id like to order several more pastries as well. After she sighed & acted like she was doing me a favor by dragging herself to the back room to get a box to place the pastries in, she came back and started picking pieces other than what I had asked for. I reiterated that I wanted the particular pieces that I asked for. She began to argue with me saying all the pieces were the same. Even though they were not all the same, I asked if all the pieces are the same, why cant I choose the piece that I want? She began to tell me how she cant choose one piece over another & how they have to pick a certain piece and blah blah blah.....it didnt make a bit of sense. I tried to brush it off again and asked her to please give me what Im paying for and she was absolutely reluctant in providing me with what I asked for. I then asked for her manger and she informed that Empresso Coffeehouse does not have a manager. Found that strange as well. Then I asked who is the owner. She told me his name is Troy but he can not be contacted for blah blah blah reasons....once again....made no sense. I immediately turned and left the building. I have since obtained Troys full name (Troy Burke), email, Facebook, etc....and messaged him about this incident. I truly hope he or someone who acts as some sort of management for this place responds or contacts me soon in regards to this extremely poor & unacceptable customer service being directed towards a paying customer that would actually like to frequent this place business. Im not sure why she acted this way & I dont want to make any assumptions that seem to be part of the reason why because I dont want to believe in hate to that degree in a place of business like this but......until I am contacted, I have no choice but to go back to my previous sentiments about Empresso Coffeehouse & take my money elsewhere. Please learn how to treat all customers the same regardless of race, gender, if youre having a bad day, etc...etc.... Your paying customers deserve that. Happy New Year! UPDATE: 1/6/2016 This is an update to my review since being contacted by the owner. He apologized & was extremely sincere & professional. I was informed all issues were addressed. Thank you!

V?

Vítorio Ferrinezza

Its not Peets but it is Stockton and a reminder that as long as you dont give up on a city...good things can happen. When I lived in Stockton in the 80s, I often said that if the Royal went down, the place would make a great little coffee concept. My vision was a little more upscale, a little closer to Berkeleyesque but still maintaining a funk that few places could provide without being run by air cooled engine enthusiasts. Bravo Stockton for supporting such a place and bravo to ownership for providing the space. As for the coffee, not bad. The house coffee is often just on the cusp of hitting the shelf life which is normal for indies......youll know by the coffee having that initial hit immediately followed by thought of what if I simply add sugar. The finish is bitter...any fragrance beaten into submission. Still, it does accomplish its task of hitting you over the head into consciousness. And while a pastry might soften the blow, it only makes the coffee that much more difficult, even with a little extra cream. Some would argue that intensity and bitterness go Mano a Mano. ...not so gentle readers. Other suggest using sugar....sorry....coffee should not require sugar to have a balanced experience while the mouth is processing the initial consumption. Perhaps the roaster took a few extra minutes taking that restroom break during the most critical period of the roasting process or perhaps not enough time was given to the mellowing of the beans after roasting. Personally I favor roasting beans on site if for no other reason that the aroma carries for miles and coffee freaks follow the scent to the source and statistically consume an extra cup per visit......important if you charge for refills. Still, simply brewing a new pot on a more established and consistent time table is often the simple solution. Service meets expectations. Decora could stand less dust though not a complete sterilization as that would impinge on the funk factor. Outdoor seating is a nice touch. ....no bullet proof vests needed. Nice view of other nice establishments worthy of inspection. In fact the Miracle Mile is the gem of Stockton in my view. Parking is good enough during peak periods unless your longest stretch is from your bed to kitchen to toilet every day. Yes....Stockton is good people.

LA

Laurie Goforth

Their coffee is good and Im so glad to find a place that serves organic! But beware they dont wear gloves when preparing food and Im not sure if they consciously wash their hands before preparing a sandwich after using the cash register. Other than that, the place is fun and the folks who work there are nice. I just wont order food... Adding to above review - I went back again and realized the place and people are hygiene deficient/uneducated and I just wont be going back. The nice gal taking the money was also making drinks etc. She did not wash her hands and was touching straws on the top where someones mouth was going to go. She put her hand across my coffee lid. I hope the owner/manager will educate the employees but I wont be going back. They didnt have any organic that day either so I guess they dont always have it.