Rena Marie’s Coffees

I decided to give this place a try and I deeply regret it. Firstly, I felt like I interupted the male batista working there. When I asked about sugar free sryup he asked me «Are you diabetic or something?». Then I pointed to the muffin with a sign in front of it saying «blueberry muffin» and said that I would take the blueberry muffin. He said it was actually a banana nut muffin. I was ordering it for my young child. They didn’t really have anything else in the food container, knowing my son probably wouldn’t eat that muffin I said that I would need to go somewhere else. He got very huffy and said «well, I can’t help if I don’t have what you want!» To which I calmly replied that was ok but I needed to go somewhere else so I could feed my kid something. Then he told me I was banned from the store! I’m not surprised by all the reviews about the horrible customer service reviews.

This place is good, however today I was greeted with horrible customer service upon arrival. The gentleman leaned on the counter with his arms crossed waiting for my order with an unpleasant attitude, he even rolled his eyes as I was placing my order. After I had ordered and he was finished with my drink, he tossed it over the counter towards me. I’ve seen the owner preparing drinks and he always makes them taking his time but this employee just put it all together like he didn’t care.
I’m only giving one star because I have seen better employees before.

Had wanted to try this coffee shop for a while now as I’m not a big fan of Starbucks. We went in one evening last week (my husband and I). There was one lady making the drinks, and one man at the register. They clearly both saw us walk in. The guy standing at the register looked at me 2 times, but did not even acknowledge that I was there and continued to have a conversation with the lady making the drinks (who also saw that we were waiting to order). This continued for at least 1 minute while I just stood there.
Why I didn’t walk out right then, I don’t know! When the man finally turned his attention to me, there was no greeting — he just said ‘do you know what you want?’ I asked if my drink could be made with skim milk and the girl refused saying it’s made with 2%, that’s how we make it. I still don’t know why I didn’t just walk out. The drinks were ok tasting… nothing to write home about.
I don’t like being down on independently owned businesses, but we will definitely not be patronizing this shop again.

If I could give this place a Negative, I would. Got a large green tea bubble tea today it was the worst bubble tea ever. There was no flavor, the bubbles were so over cooked they had no consistency. And when I walked back in to complain the «manager» did nothing but say how crazy I was because most people love their drinks. Didn’t try to make me a new one and when I asked for my money back just blew me off.
I would love to speak to the owner, because clearly they need to know what poor customer service their manager is giving. I’m shocked they are still in business.

Awful. I don’t remember the last time customer service threw my into such a tizzy. It was the week before Christmas so obviously the mall was a madhouse and the line for Starbucks was endless. We walked around for hours and I was craving coffee, when we finally reached Renee Marie’s I was so excited. Thankfully there was no one else in line, only a few people seated inside. I walked in and the girl behind the counter was fighting with her male coworker. She then threw the metal creamer cup into the sink and the noise was so loud everyone was watching. Then two young men walked in dressed in regular clothing and stepped behind the counter. They asked her what she wanted from Chik-​fil-​a and she pondered on what she would order. At this point I have been standing there for nearly 2 minutes and have not been greeted or addressed. Still I waited patiently for her to at least make eye contact or tell me she «would be with my in a moment». Eventually she looked right at me standing in front of the register and went back to talking to the young men. I saw red and walked out. I rather drag myself across the mall dead tired than give my money to people who clearly do not care about their business. Now after reading other reviews on here it is clear that she wasn’t having an off day it was just the norm for this coffee shop. And it is too bad because it nice to have other options than just Starbucks.

This review is actually representing three separate experiences (unfortunately all negative).
Initially, My husband and I had a negative experience but I guess I assumed it was just a one time thing. The person who served us was unfriendly to the point where we exchanged glances as if to say «is this really happening?». They had a sign advertising wifi, but when we inquired, she just said «no». We were confused. No what? «It’s down», no further explanation or apologies. We both agreed we wouldn’t spend our money there again.
Jump forward a few months. We’re in the mall with family and friends. Three of them got excited when they saw Rena Marie’s sign for bubble tea. I decided not to tell them our opinion/​bad experience there. Let them decide on their own. We waited outside. After only a few minutes my friend came out. No drink. What happened? She said that after observing how rude the woman behind the counter was to my mother and teen daughter, she got disgusted and walked out without ordering.
My mother told me her feelings. She said that the girl behind the counter, from the moment they walked in, seemed annoyed by their presence. She kept her back to them, not turning around to greet them… for the first minute they were there, not turning even when answering questions. They were the only customers in there, which made it worse. You could understand if they were slammed with a busy crowd. They described her as «openly disdainful». She acted irritated when they asked questions about the bubble tea (its available frozen, which is different, so naturally they had questions). My mom wasn’t sure about getting a drink, she wanted to see my daughter’s bubble tea before ordering. But since it was on the same bill, the woman working told them my mom had to order AND PAY before she would even MAKE either drink! (It was at this point my friend, mentioned above, walked out)
In summary, we decided that it’s one thing to have a bad experience at an establishment. That’s possible anywhere. But after looking at the reviews, this is not a one time thing. And it’s clearly part of the culture in this shop, since others have mentioned several employees acting the same. These reviews were left months ago, plenty of time for them to clean up their act.

As other reviewers have stated, this place struggles with customer service. The guy that waited on my girlfriend and I was very unfriendly and seemed impatient that we didn’t decide right away, even though we were the only ones there. The prices very high, and the products certainly did not back them up. I got a bubble tea that was nearly tasteless other than the odd-​tasting tapioca boba. I’ve tried some good privately-​owned coffee shops that really stand out from the rest, but if you’re in Hanes Mall, pass this place up and just go to Starbucks.

This is the first 2-​star rating I have ever given, and it breaks my heart to have to do so, but I believe that this business can improve drastically by changing a few key customer service items. Let me just say, that being an independent coffee shop is a wonderful thing. I personally love experiencing the different personalities of each privately owned store. That being said, Rena Marie’s struggles in one highly important area. Customer Service. You can have the best product in the world, but if you are rude to customers there isn’t much that is going to bring them back.
I walked in today and was greeted by the lovely smell of their different roasts of coffee, and I complimented them on that. I admit to being a bit indecisive today, but I think it’s okay to ask questions about your product. The young lady working alone in Rena Marie’s was very argumentative and aggressive in her «we are not Starbucks» rant. I accidentally spoke the dreaded word «frappuccino» and was acosted by a lecture about them having only fresh, homemade products «unlike Starbucks.» She was also very rude about not wanting to serve sugar-​free syrups, «unless you’re a diabetic,» which she asked me if I was. To me, this is unacceptable behavior for anyone, especially if you’re in the food/​retail industry.
I could go on, but I just want to encourage this business to prosper, and in order to do so, customer service needs to become a bigger focus. The product is good, so you don’t need to argue with your customers about it. I’m hoping that this young lady was just having a bad day, and this isn’t her normal treatment of customers.

Weird! Called this place to inquire about its whereabouts.
Female voice answers: «Hello».
She doesn’t state the business name so I figured that I’ve misdialed; although, I had launched the phone # directly from Unilocal.
Me: Sorry, I thought this was a business.
Voice: Which business?
At this point, I’m thinking she can’t be serious. But I appeased her.
Me: A coffeehouse (intentionally ommitting the name).
She puts me on hold then comes back.
Voice: Yes (never confirming the name of the business).
I just can’t!!! Considering the word exchange, I realized that if an employee has to confirm there place of employment to be a coffee house, then surely they’re not keen enough to take/​make a latte order. I wouldn’t patronize this business based on the phone etiquette alone.
I don’t know Ms. Rena Marie personally, but I dont think she’d be too happy with this representation :/​Shame on me for wanting something other than Starbucks!

I have not tried their coffee, I went in searching for bubble tea. I am pretty sure they are the only place in Winston-​Salem that you can find it. They advertise it frozen, but since I have never had it frozen, I asked for it iced. I ordered iced milk tea– it was what I was looking for! They have a punch card, so be sure to get one, the drink was around $ 5, which is average for a coffee shop, I guess. At first the employees were not too friendly, but once I was talking they seemed more helpful.

Loved my coffee. My salted caramel mocha was way better than Starbucks! Super friendly staff!