Bitter End Coffee House

The esta establishment is clean and home-like. A very welcoming and calm atmosphere. It's a bit noisy with one of the machines they run but overall I really enjoyed my time there talking with a friend. A lot of college kids doing homework. The beverages are delicious and worth trying.

Bitter End is BITTER TODAY!

I come here often for their Chai Tea, however, today will be the last. The barista Emily was rude because she had to remake my Chai tea. If you listened to the customer (VOTC) the first time you wouldn'y be so sour. She raises her voice at me, then w/attitude snatched my debit card. When I asked to speak with the manager, she asked why, what is it that you need now? The employee goes to the back to the shop and I can hear her giving an inaccurate narrative. Emily comes back out stating the manager refuses to comes out, she's busy. Disappointing and apparent that customers aren't valued. Then, the barista escalates the interaction with me. Now! The entire coffee shop is leaning in acknowleding the poor customer service and rudeness. Finally, the manager appears, although uninterested in my experience. And stated the buck stops here and no intention to address my areas of concern nor an apology. Then suggested I must be having a bad day deflecting the issue at hand. Train your employees to execute customer service with excellence.

I will not return. Every customer's experience should matter

DO NOT COME HERE ON SUNDAYS!!

RESPONSE TO OWNER: Surprised! Be honest - you're not surprise. How can you be surprised when I told you I would write a review regarding my exchange, PERHAPS, this would explain why you didn't provided the correct name of your barista.

Correction: You nor your barista offered no apology. The line. The line grew due to your refusal to come out to extend service to a customer. If I conducted myself as you suggested you would've responded immediately. The truth of the matter is I was calm and collected despite the aggressive behavior of your employee when she returned from speaking with you in the back. You weren't far and could clearly hear, as I heard your barista speaking to you. When you did finally come out, you stated the bucks stopped here, and what did I want, that I must be having bad day and excused the behavior of an employee. Deflecting my experience to me having a bad day instead of an learning opportunity for an employee.

If you were to inquire of any of your other employees about the Chai tea lady (I always state 3/4 chai w/oat milk, whip cream w/cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top) they would tell what a great customer I am, how they enjoy my presence and a great tipper.

It was clear you didn't care about me as a customer then. And in this response trying to express parallel to what you did on Sunday, that somehow I was at fault, and should be appreciate that my drink was remade (I use to come in weekly and order the same drink and never had an issue); that somehow I am a 'mad black woman' who was extremely difficult. When in fact I was courtesy and patient, as one of your customers who sat at the window came out to tell me.

It's apparent as a very small business owner you don't value the customer experience, and regrettably, as a minority-woman owned business you wouldn't value the voice of another woman of color, but try to stereotype me and the encounter. Clearly, a lack of professionalism, leadership, cultural intelligence, etc. DO BETTER!

And, yes, I found a phenomenal Chai Tea - Sparrow Coffee & Tea on Wealthy Street.

Huge variety of drink, but not ideal for decaf or regular coffee drinker.

Overall, I would rate The Bitter End as very "okay."

What I enjoy most about this location is the environment. The interior is visually appealing, with dark wood and vintage decorations. It is great for studying; there are many seating options & the ones lining the walls all have their own lamps.

However, if you are looking for a place with good coffee, this is not the place. The espresso is very sub par, the steamed milk does not have good texture, & the flavored drinks are very sweet & syrup-heavy. The one drink that I've had here that I've liked was the chai latte. You may have better luck with their tea or drip coffee.

Other points worth noting are that (1) there is a parking lot very conveniently located across the street & (2) in my opinion, the drinks are rather pricey for the quality. Also, many of the other reviews comment on the service here, saying that it is bad, but I have never had an issue.

In all, this is not somewhere I will frequent. Though I like the atmosphere, it is not quite worth the cost of having to buy a drink each time I visit.

Great place to sit and get work done! When I was there I wish there had been a wider selection of sweets, but that's probably a sign that they're so good everyone buys them up!

Strong wifi connection, good sized tables for whether you're by yourself or with a group, and just a calming atmosphere overall. Especially love the front windows that allow for tons of natural light!

Not the worst place in Grand Rapids for Coffee, but truth told, it's not far off. The seating is generally packed or nearly full. Environment is moderately ideal for working/studying, but with varying volume and chatter it's more a space for casual coffee with a friend. That said, my coffee experience here has been rather poor. My espresso has consistently been over-extracted and I don't believe the baristas' have anywhere near the level of training as is standard in this area. Milks are always either scalded and overstretched, often times both. Lastly, it's sad to say but the staff is consistently rather moody and rude. I've been in a number of times hoping to have just caught them on bad days at first, but it seems that's just a factor of the work culture here. I'd love to push people in due to their fair trade support and products, not to mention location to campus while still on the west side, but until the culture and quality changes, I say pick another cafe. A true bitter place to be.

The drip coffee selection is phenomenal. I love the ambience (1930's interior: wood walls, tall ceiling with stylized tin squares covering, with a floor made of tiny tiles, and eclectic art on the walls). And, it's 24 hours. I wish I could teleport to GR every day to enjoy this place.

I called to order ahead tonight(Saturday) @ 10:15pm and she says the do not do pick ups at the Bitter End. We go in at 10:45pm and the women that works there says they closed at 10 with another customer still sitting down. Really disappointed for the fact that I have been going here my whole life.

Love the ambiance, and I absolutely LOVE that all of the coffee is fair trade. This is the perfect place to study, but not necessarily to socialize. It's small inside and it gets full very quickly, and sometimes it can be a little slow due to only one staff member usually being there.

My favorite place to be. I have so much love for the bitter end. I'd honestly love to work there. Great environment. Great workers. Always warm and cozy and have gotten me through school, a break up, and so much more. Chi tea latte is sooo yummy! Fair prices and amazing artwork.