06/08/09

CLOSED

by valleyboy

I went here a couple times but stopped going because the staff had such poor attitudes toward customer service. I walked by recently and they're closed up with a "for lease" sign in the window. I'm wondering why they closed. Does anyone know? Maybe their poor service had something to do with it? That should teach 'em.

• Pros: Strong coffee
• Cons: poor service

10/23/08

EWWWW!

by YanLee

I used to study there a lot!! I never just sat there to study. I always ordered something like a juice, water or anything about every hour just so that I don't feel like I'm using the place. It looks nice but there are crawling things between the couches!! I got so disgusted!! I will never go back!!!

• Pros: Nice looking
• Cons: Strange creatures between couches

10/23/08

Best Coffee house in Burbank

by meltingpotmusic

I highly recommend Romancing The Bean. Whether I want to meet with friends, hold a casual business meeting or enjoy a relaxing morning with a mug of coffee and book, I head over to RTB. I love good coffee and their double lattes are great! The staff are really sweet and the coffee is excellent. I always believe in supporting the small business owner first, and fortunately, it is a joy to do so here. They are much more inviting than the coffee house chains, offering sofas, pillows, extensive magazines and newspapers, faux fireplace, open-mic nights for musicians and actual food! When in Burbank, head to Romancing The Bean.

• Pros: Great coffee, good food, great ambiance
• Cons: Parking a little difficult

10/11/08

The place was pretty good

by HowardE

We stopped by for a coffee and found it nice. Our coffees were good and service was fine. The service staff was also good. I would go there again.

10/09/08

AVOID THIS PLACE...RUN RUN RUN TO COFFEE BEAN

by Sacajewea

After reading the reviews I decided to share my experience . I don't like to knock down any business but the people at this establishment need to concentrate on their customer service and attitudes rather than just their appearances and the appearance of the business. From the moment you walk in you will notice about three young ladies behind the counter who just stare at you with blank looks on their faces and a "higher than thou" attitude. My drink and food order were both wrong...Now all of this I was able to somehow endure but when I noticed the owner licking her fingers as she finished preparing some of the food, THIS WAS JUST ENOUGH to make me walk out the door! I will never be back and recommend you don't waste any time or money here!

10/09/08

HORRIBLE SERVICE

by baby23

This place is beyond horrible!!!!! The owner is so rude, and obviously her employees learn from her. They never seem to understand what I order, because every time it comes out of the kitchen its wrong. The ambiance is great, but there are alot of other places in town that have a nice ambiance and service. I pay twice as much here as I would at Starbucks, but at least the employees at starbucks have common decency unlike the employees at Romancing the Bean. On top of all that, they have a rating of a B..EWWWWWWW. Take my word, dont go here. If you want service, quality coffee and an ambiance starbucks is done the street. Put your money where its really worth.

• Pros: Ambiance
• Cons: Rude Owner

10/09/08

Owner has the worst customer service

by lilit22

I am a regular customer at this coffee shop and absolutely love the ambience. But the owner has the worst attitude and worst customer service possible! I went in one morning and instead of ordering my usual "toffee nut latte" I decided to browse the internet for a bit before getting my drink. She walked up to my friend and I and bluntly said, " are you going to order something???? cuz the internet is only for customers!" There are ways she could have stated the same question and not have been so rude! She could have asked, "Can I get you guys something?" which then my response would have been "no thanks, I'm going to my drink soon." And she would have gotten the answer she wanted which was that I was going to order something and not just sit there and use the internet. Overall, she's rude and has an attitude problem!!!!!!!!!!! I believe in helping smaller businesses more than huge corporations therefore I have been supporting Romancing the Bean but after this experience Starbucks will again be getting a lot more of my business!!

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: Customer service

09/27/08

Horrible customer service

by AlexRake

Have been picking up food here ever since I moved to Burbank a year ago. Until now it has been great. This time I went in to order some food and watched through the nook as the chef prepared it. I watched because past experiences have made me suspicious as to really how clean and healthy their kitchen is. On more than one occasion when the chef hasn't been there and a staff member made the food, they didn't even wash their hands after handling money at the register. So I watched as the chef made my food and then I saw him take the rag he used to wipe off the counter and wipe his hands to wipe the pan my food was going to be cooked in.

I had never complained before but this was the final straw. I stated it as lightly as I could (sort of like "no big deal, just make sure it doesn't happen again.") and it blew up into a huge argument. No manager was on duty so I told one of the employees. The chef came out to lecture me about he has been cooking for 14 years, yada, yada, yada -- the whole I am a "pro" bit. Then one of the other employees comes over while I'm talking to the chef and unloads on me. "Everytime you come in here, you complain," she said. The fact is, this is the first time I've ever complained about anything there. When I asked her to give me a specific time I've complained and stop generalizing, she couldn't come up with any examples. She flat out told me not to come here anymore.

I couldn't believe that over one little argument, they were telling a long-time loyal customer to leave. I will never go back because of this. It's truly amazing how little this cafe knows about customer service and how easily my complaint could have been handled. Instead, she went apeshit on me.

Oh, and there's got to be a reason their posted health record just dropped to a "B." I don't think it was just a shelf that wasn't cleaned as they say.

• Pros: Good food, good location
• Cons: Absolutely horrid 1-star customer service

09/20/08

Bad Service, Hair served up with Bagel Not recommended

by Lemondrp

I went to this local coffee house mid week and ordered a regular coffee (after being informed they did not have any 'breakfast' tea left). The coffee was served cold and must have been sitting there for hours. This morning I returned to have breakfast and just figured the last time I was there was just a once off and I would give them a second chance to impress me. However, on my first bite into my cream cheese bagel I was eating a hair which was mixed with the cream cheese, a long, highlighted hair, presumably from the smog-head waitress who prepared my bagel. I returned the bagel and asked for another but was not given an apology nor any discount.

I get the impression that the people that work here party way too much and are confused to say the least when it comes to carrying out complicated orders like a single latte and a brownie. I did notice on my way out the door that they have a B rating from the Dept of Health...putting them in the bottom 5% of establishments with a less than stellar health record for cleanliness. A tip to the food prep staff....please wear a hair net or hat and if a hair does happen to make its way into a bagel in the future, be gracious and apologise and maybe even give the customer the bagel on the house....That would have made all the difference. This place is quite nice aesthetically but overall, dusty, dirty and lacking in basic customer service.....needless to say...I will not be back to this place in a hurry

• Pros: Nice looking place
• Cons: Dusty, Dirty, Lazy Service Staff, Poor Hygiene

07/16/08

I am in love with the Bean!

by larypcrews

Romancing the Bean is wonderful. I'm new in town, staying in a by-the-week motel while I seek a job. I did a search on wifi and came up with RTB among others.

I tried it on a Wednesday about 9am. (And I am still here at 2pm!) What I love is that not only do they have comfortable seating and large enough tables to put your laptop in the perfect position for work, they have AC outlets all over the place so you don't need to waste your battery. The wifi is free (password-protected) and easy to use and the nice folks who run the place do not put any pressure on you to move along. Oh, and the restrooms are modern and clean. I am impressed and I will be back.

Lary Crews