The Boiler Room is the worst coffee shop in Minneapolis
The Boiler Room is the worst coffee shop in Minneapolis.
This is because the staff treats the customers like dirt, and verbally abuses them. It betrays an attitude about customers that penetrates everything else they do. It will never be more than a single mom-and-pop-shop coffee hole for this reason. About a year ago a friend of mine remarked that they're technically not supposed to impose a minimum charge on credit card purchases. (they're not) The woman behind the counter called her a bitch and told her to leave. Needless to say, she did. Every time I've suggested buying a cup of coffee there since the answer has been a definite no. Today was different, though--with some cajoling, I convinced her this morning to come with me to the Boiler Room for a cup of coffee. We were nearby and didn't really want to ride to the other side of town.
Seemed like a good idea at the time, but we forgot one important thing.
The first thing I noticed was that the prices had been steeply marked up since the last time I was there. I don't know if it changed ownership, but I haven't seen Ann for quite some time. The coffee was burned and old--I had to put cream in it to make it palatable. And the music was loud and awful. Basically, I'm of the mind that people pay coffee shops for coffee and a quiet-ish place to talk. We don't pay to participate in the musical tastes of the employees. If the environment is distracting, it's within a customer's rights to bring up the subject. And if they don't want customers, it's well within a merchant's rights to refuse to accommodate.
So here's the story. I didn't like the music--nobody at my table did. I asked the guy behind the counter--what's with the music? He asked me if I had a problem with it. I told him "well, sort of", in as noncommittal a way as I could. At another time, perhaps not. At that particular moment, yes... What happened next was really unnerving. The jerk told me to "get the #$@^ out, then. It's my shop and I'll listen to any #$%@ing music I want."
So I did. My friend was right about that place. The Boiler Room is the worst coffee shop in Minneapolis, based on my numerous experiences of their customer service and hostility towards patrons.
Barring an apology, I'm never going back.