Barnes and Noble Cafe

I’ve always had great experiences here. The seating area is clean, the coffee is great made just like any Starbucks, the goodies are delicious and fresh, and the employees are fast, efficient, and pleasant. I normally take my coffee to go after making a purchase. Sometimes there’s a line at the front of the store and I go checkout at the café even if I’m not getting coffee. The baristas are very accommodating and ring me up without issue.

The people that work here are beyond rude. I am not interested in hearing about their relationship woes, racist comments and how people don’t tip enough. For some reason I am not surprised.

Standard Starbucks coffee. Service is quick and friendly. The only reason I didn’t give them 5 stars is because they didn’t have my usual sugar free hazelnut syrup.

I love spending the afternoon here drinking coffee and reading, but their coffee is never hot!

IF I had reviewed this location several years ago, I would have given them 4 stars solidly. It was such a better Café prior to the renovations. Please know this review is solely based on the logistics of this café and not the service. Several years ago (not sure exactly how many), this Starbuck’s Café had some renovations done. Typically, renovations are done for the better. I feel these renovation were the worst thing they could have done. They definitely didn’t better the café or make the place more inviting. Actually, the very opposite outcome was achieved.
First of all, they lost seating space due to the expansion of the counter area, which is located in the middle of the café. This might be a nice location if the café seating area was bigger, but it’s not. They also bumped out a storage/​back room area that further minimized the café seating, while also creating a narrow and awkward cut through space for customers to make there way around the counter area. The new counter/​service area was heightened around the back and sides with higher walls and glass. This makes it impossible to see the other side of the café from the entrance area. If you were to meet with someone in this café and happen to have a seat/​table behind the counter, it is rather difficult to find each other without the odd feeling of walking behind the counter area to have a look.
Whoever designed the renovations clearly did not have the know-​how on how to better the overall design and appearance of the café. It isn’t at all smooth to walk around, and more often than not, there is now lack of seating during the busier times. The place just doesn’t flow well at all.
I wish they had expanded out into the bookstore a little more instead of minimizing the space they already had. I’m sure Starbuck’s rents the space, so that may have been a factor. There seems to be a lot of wasted and/​or poorly used space in the surrounding bookstore area in front of the café. There is a huge magazine area that in my opinion takes up an area along the front of the building that would have made for an excellent café expansion.
My other complaint is since everything is now on top of each other there, whenever they «blend» a drink, it really is a disturbing noise when conversing at your table. This is not me just complaining. If you have been there and have a seat anywhere alongside or near the counter (which is most of the seating now), you cannot converse comfortably at your table while the Café «blender» is on. It’s ridiculous! Another great reason to expand the seating further away from the counter area. Just foolish!!!

The staff are always friendly, the café is always clean, the Wi-​Fi us always free and the coffee is always Starbucks!
I withheld one star for no outside seating but this is just me trying to encourage them.

It’s been a while since I ordered from here; but I decided to do so the other day. I brought in my plastic cup and asked for sweetened black iced tea.
The dude just poured everything into my cup. What happened to the shaken part of the famous Starbucks iced teas? My tea was unevenly sweetened because of that. — the sryup was all on the top part of my drink.
Also, apparently the 50 cents refills only applies to the same ‘type’ of store. My cup did not come from the Café so I had to pay regular price. I will certainly go to a regular Starbucks from now on! So much for eco-​friendly marketing — I just found out the fine prints. I will probably get a better shakened iced tea at a regular Starbucks anyhow!