The Factory - Cafe with a Soul

Reviews 5

LE

Leila Rahil

I knew from the minute I heard this place was opening and saw the pics I had to come and check it out. It is like the loft that cool, trendy friend of a friend who travels a lot you would imagine has meshed with the coffee shop you would imagine they frequent. This place definitely has a novelty vibe about it, but is surprisingly welcoming as well. The barista was extremely friendly and very open to explaining the menu offerings for first timers. They have some pretty eclectic choices and I wanted to try them all, but kept myself in check and sampled two things from the menu: the matcha shot and the pop+art. They were a bit on the pricier side of cafe fare and though it was tasty, I am not one to eat reg poptarts cold, so I would have preferred to have their pop+art just a bit warmed. Also, for what you get, I dont think I would get this particular item again for the price. The macha shot was whimsical and with the tiny bite of olive oil cake, it was prefection, and also on a pricier side, this imho was worth it. I liked that they offer free sparkling water and that the purchase process is self-serve (they have tablets set up to order your items and pay and then pick up when your name is called). The place was pretty populated when I came in late on a weekday night, but it was dead silent and everyone seemed to be doing their own thing or for the group occupying the swings and couches and chess set, talking amongst themselves. And this is where this place loses a star for me. While I appreciate they are trying to propagate organic interaction with other human beings by not offering wi-fi. There was no evidence that this was remotely effective as I saw many one-offs in corners and at tables deftly staring at their electronic screens or quietly engrossed in their books, none of which were engaging with any other person around them. So, for someone who lives by complimentary wifi at cafes, this place has zero attraction for me to come back and be productive while enjoying my caffeine. I did not know they did not have wifi when I came in w/my laptop in hand. After ordering and the barista explaining why, I was forced to use the free McAlisters wifi from next door (which I imagined everyone else on a laptop or phone was doing as well). I felt bad having to do so, but after dropping almost $12 (w/tip) I felt personally affronted to have to use my own data as well. That being said, I might come back with a friend to converse over an espresso bevvie and chicken & waffle, but there is nothing here to bring me back as a regular sans wifi.

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ME

Meagan Durel

I almost liked this place. The food was good, and the coffee was really tasty. But, I think the restaurant creators focused too much on the wrong details. For example, the decor is really funky and cool, pop culturey. They have a bunch of random, weird chairs that are super cool with a high-top long table in the middle. All of these details seem meticulously chosen and I like them all in theory, but in practice my experience was not super. They have ipads to order your food, so you dont have to talk to anyone to order food, which is cool. But, its not obvious when you walk in the door that thats the way it works. I had to ask an employee, who was confused about my question about what to do. Maybe put a sign up that says "order here!" above the ipads so its more obvious. Next, the app on the iPad is guided with no back button, so if you make a mistake putting in your tip (like I did), you just have to live with it. Then, the only space available was at the high top, which would have been okay, except that the chairs were super close together so it was hard to move my chair to get comfortable. As soon as I did get comfy, my drink was ready and I had to get up. Im short, so this wasnt super easy. It was also difficult to hear the staff calling that my food was ready. This being a pick up at the counter, itemized food kind of place, I had to get up a couple more times to get my food. I got the waffles with bananas and strawberries, and my waffle kept sticking to the very cute Andy Warhol paper, which is a small but annoying detail. I also got the pop tart, which was sweet but not too much so, and the double espresso drink, which was strong and tasty. My husband got the chicken and waffles, which also tasted good. The chicken breading had some good seasonings in it. So tl;dr: decent food, interesting aesthetic, annoying experience.

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TH

the amadroid

So, currently this place is doing a few cringe-y things with their business... I interviewed there 3 weeks ago, was denied employment, yet they still need the same position filled? ~kewl Heres a paragraph of messy stuff going on inside "The Factory": They are re-branding to Hot Chix & Waffles... and as of 08/2017, apparently WILD Chix & Waffles. Cool, terrible name, but whatever, right? Heres the gag: awful, racist, and misogynistic names accompany their food (i.e. "suga mama" a chicken and waffles with syrup dish, "tlc" a chicken breast sandwich, "daisy duke" or something of the sort) they also have a fat-bottomed chicken as the new mascot, paired with the X in the name and it adds a gross ambiance to the place. Did I mention the FOH people are only girls? This place has gone down hill, big time. Mixing two types totally different business models in one building is confusing and off-putting. Maybe I shouldnt have laughed when you said the new name to me... Maybe that was rude to you, Mr. Interviewer Man. Idk... but, issa mess.

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CA

Caroline Nalle

I went here with my fiance on a quest for Mint Mojito coffee like Philz in CA. The decor is really, really cute and well done but I sort of felt like I couldnt touch anything. It was like being in a Dwell photoshoot or something. Perhaps overly designed! Then, the most important, the drinks which were a huge disappointment. I think we paid around $8 for a mint coffee in a highball glass that amounted to MAYBE 5 Oz of liquid without the ice. I dont even remember the quality of the drink because I was so sticker shocked. Tea Haus around the corner serves a far superior mint coffee for half the price and in about 20 Oz. Also, the self ordering and checkout system added insult to injury. If we are serving ourselves on iPads and yall arent having to pay cashiers, surely your coffee could be a normal price? Look in the window at the decor or maybe get something as cheap as possible if hanging out with a friend. Otherwise, avoid until they go out of business from Tea Haus.

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ME

Melissa Walker

I wanted to love The Factory, I just cant. My first visit I chalked up to the restaurant having a bad morning, we waited 40 minutes for our food and the restaurant wasnt even half full, while the table next to us got the wrong order for half the table and waited an hour to get the correct order delivered. Everyone has a bad day and my cortado was fantastic so I let it slide. After my second visit I have to admit their food just really isnt good. The chicken and waffles were just ok. The chicken itself was pretty good, breaded nicely with good spice and very juicy, but the waffle was undercooked and simply underwhelming. The pour over coffee wasnt very good either. I may go back, the interior really is fantastic with lots of comfortable places to sit and chat or read a book while you sip your beverage, but I wont be eating there again.

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