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Review content:
Let me be honest here: I used to really, really like this place. The wireless network kept me coming back, but the actual product -- the coffee -- has drastically gone downhill in past months, since the new owner has taken over.
See, Caffeine Dreams has a lot of potential. It's in this great space, had this fabulous, fenced-in, garden seating area, and hip, fun baristas who were always great to talk with. Its industrial feel made it an ideal meeting place (it had that Urban Thing going on), and the fact that they support local artists by displaying work on the walls made them seem homey. Like Cheers, but for caf-feinds.
Problem is, the former owners (who owned a single coffee shop), sold it off to a new owner who owns many. And as happens when the bottom line becomes more important than the passion for the place, the quality's gone way, way down. The coffee's bitter, the drinks overpriced. Half the time, they seem to be out of many of the things you want, and worse, the good employees left for the most part, leaving a bunch of bitter, whiny people behind. (Not that I can blame the ones who left -- they were getting bounced paychecks.) The garden is largely unattended-to now, and one of the employees mentioned that a customer complained, because one of the overgrowth areas is full of a rather deadly weed, encroaching on sitting areas. (!!!)
There are better coffee shops in town. I'd honestly skip this one unless atmosphere is more important to you than quality for your dollar.
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