The Daily Grind Coffeehouse

For those who are serious about coffee, this place is an unexpected gem found in Locust. Not only do they have counter culture coffee, but they know how to use their equipment so that it cups well. Great coffee, good atmosphere!

I want to give this place five stars. I waited to review it in hopes that I could give it a better review. I was rooting for it. Do you know how many good coffee shops there are outside of Charlotte? Very, very few. Sadly, I cannot give this place any better than two stars (and even that’s a stretch).
The first time I went in, the owner was behind the counter and was great. He was friendly, the coffee was good, and we talked about all kinds of coffee related things while he was making my pour over. I was so excited that I had finally found great coffee within twenty minutes of me and could not wait to try it again.
Ever since the first time, nothing has gone right with this place. Their first major issue is their hours on their door and on Unilocal do not match their actual hours. I think they’re just open whenever they feel like it. I have tried to to no less than six times to go (not on holidays or any special days of the week) and it has not been open during hours.
One of the few times I went and it was actually open, the guy working was sitting outside, smoking. When he saw me walk in, he walked in and took my order immediately and DID NOT WASH HIS HANDS. He didn’t even wash my hands before he started making my drink! I know I’m not the only person with this complaint (my brother, his girlfriend, and my mom have all had this happen on separate occasions). My drink even had a hint of cigarette smoke. It was disgusting.
On another visit, I went with my little sister and the same guy worked and did not wash his hands after smoking. The drink was great (honestly one of the best iced coffees I’ve ever had) and did not have a smoke flavor. This experience and my first experience are the reasons why I give this place two stars.
If they could be open during their posted hours and if the employees could follow basic sanitation laws, the drinks would always be fantastic and wonderful, and I would be able to give it more stars (they brew Counter Culture which is kinda hard to screw up because it’s so good). But, sadly, this is not the case.
I’m still rooting for you, Grind. You can do it. You CAN be a five star coffee shop. Just follow basic business rules (also a décor change might not hurt).

First of all, this place is WHOA HELLO 90’s! And not in a good, kitschy way. Oversized chairs and couches, fuckin bizarre knick knacks all over the place. This, in and of itself, is not the worst thing in the world but it immediately denotes a lack of thought or creativity in how the place presents itself.
«Screw you, Aubrey, what does a place’s décor have to do with its product,» you may be asking me. Well, friends, sometimes nothing, sometimes everything. In this case, the latter wins by a landslide.
Walk up to the counter and the cheery but aloof staff notices they have a customer (I’m the only customer at 8:45 am on a Tuesday?!). I order a good-​sized 20 oz coffee and selected a banana nut muffin. While the girl working the counter is warming up the muffin, another customer comes in and inquires if they’re made in house. «Um, no, I think we actually get them at Costco.» Now, I realize most coffee shops order their bakery from local caterers, but COSTCO?! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?! Don’t get me wrong, I love Costco, but I’ll get my damn muffins from Costco when I want em to be from there.
So I sit down with my $ 3 muffin from FUCKIN COSTCO and take a sip of the coffee… ugh. Hog wash. Weak, tasted like it was roasted months ago, no flavor, basically shitty brown water. No, thank you.
I should have just left that shit there and headed out, but I was killing time and needed a place to chill, even if the coffee snob, asshole Unilocaler in me was screaming to get out. This is remarkable because, about ten minutes after I sat down, the staff remembered to turn on the music. Yeah.
Anyway, I will not be returning, I can guaran-​fucking-​tee you that. This place, at the very least, needs to learn how to make good coffee and order from a REAL local bakery (preferably one that makes muffins under 650 calories). And change the damn décor. Until then, it’s just a really bad coffee shop for basic suburban bitches.

Great service and excellent coffee. No automated machines here, the person making our latte was friendly and made our rainy day a little brighter. Laid back atmosphere, but in no way hipster.

We tried to stop here on our way to Charlotte for a cup, but as it was Christmas Eve, the shop was closed. However on our way home today we made a point of stopping. So glad we did!
When you walk inside you’re greeted by a few coffee plants (in fruit!) and a couple of gardenias. Lining the walls are books for the reading and a shelf of comic books for sale. The owner/​barista was friendly and talkative, and he made quite possibly the best mocha on the face of the planet. He was using Counter Culture beans from the Durham area, and he offered to show us his espresso beans – even to taste them! We had a great talk about coffee roasters, coffee trees, coffee fruits, lemon trees, and gardenias, all on top of some fantastic coffee. Not only that but he even recommended some coffee shops in the Charlotte area, since we mentioned being there. All in all, if you’re in the Locust area and you’re looking for a good cup, a conversation, and some sweet reads, you must go.

A by chance stop has altered my drive to the office. The best coffee ever!

We stopped on a six hour trip looking for something slightly better than McDonalds
and stumbled across an amazing New York level foodie coffee nirvana. Beautiful latte art– yummy coffee!
I don’t know what this place is doing in Locust! We will be stopping here every time we go to Charlotte!!!

Great service, guy behind the counter was very nice and helpful in making choices. Read most of the reviews and find all they said to be pretty spot on. Def gonna go again — only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because there was a couple sitting at the «bar» area that seemed to be just hanging out talking, and all questions we asked the guy behind the counter was «answered» by the guy hanging out. My husband asked if he worked there, which he replied no — so as a business manager myself I would have told the guy to buzz off while I took care of my customers, or at least gave him a look to STFU but that didn’t happen. Other than then annoying guy I would rave about the place — so next visit may be different and I’ll make up the missing star.

The grind is under new management I don’t drink (alcohol) much so me and my wife come here after dinner almost every Friday night. The new owner has a great personalty and understands the dynamics of true coffee brewing. I’ve been looking for a place that serves African slow drip since we moved to Nc and he is the only guy in a fifty mile radius that can brew a tasty bean several different ways.

The Daily Grind was always my first stop in Locust. Valerie always remembered my drink AND my weird request that my iced coffee be served in a hot cup :)

Awesome little family owned coffee shop! I have been frequenting them fir tears and never had a bad drink. My favorite is the grasshopper mocha! Yummy!!!

I had a caramel frappé… YUM! I also tried an almond coffee cooler which I just may order again.
There’s artwork from local artists for sale adorning the walls. Free WiFi, excellent desserts (cheesecake!), bagels, cookies, and more. Outdoor seating on the patio (removed from any road traffic). Musical entertainment often (I think it’s on Friday nights– but I’d call to find out just when).
Locust has a good thing going. I’ll definitely be going back.
PS Family owned!
Monday-​Thursday 6am-​7pm
Friday 6am-​10pm
Saturday 8am-​1pm