The Proving Grounds Coffee & Ice Cream

Awesome local place for coffee, tea, sandwiches. Very cozy inside

First time here. Great atmosphere with creative decor. The staff was friendly, coffee and sandwiches were fast and delicious!

I have been a longtime customer. The atmosphere is great, the staff is friendly and the food/drinks are always top quality.

Love this place! Always greeted with a smile & everyone is pleasant. Appreciate all of their options as well. Never disappointed.

Delicious coffee served by friendly baristas in a warm atmosphere is what makes Proving Grounds a weekly stop in my routine.

Wonderful place with ample choices in coffee, fresh eats, and ice cream. Charming village with paved trails that stretch 60 miles across Metro-Detroit.

I’m disappointed to have to write this review. I used to love Proving Grounds coffee. I would leave my house early to go out of the way to grab that coffee opposed to other coffee places on my way. The last two times I’ve been in here has been very mediocre. Today was the final straw, my mocha latte with extra espresso literally tasted like chocolate milk, and there was no ice in my iced latte. My turkey panini sandwich took nearly 30 minutes to get and was burnt to a crisp. Unfortunately, I had to leave in a hurry after waiting that long for it. It was completely inedible, when I spoke up the girl said “sorry, we’re busy”.There was no offer to remake it, no offer to refund my money.Busy is not an excuse for bad service, terrible coffee and burnt food. Has ownership changed? James would never have allowed what is happening to go on.

Edit:
thank you for the reply, I’ll stop by when I’m in town next and give it another shot. I’m concerned as well because I was excited to have a place that could perhaps nail espresso beverages and coffee in my hometown.

Original review:
Proving grounds had a strong opening year or so, and I remember I enjoyed the beverages there. However, each time I’ve come for a coffee in the past couple years it has been just plain bad. I would rather have had Folgers with some cream than the drip coffee, and the espresso is way off the mark - a cortado was pretty much inedible. Somewhere along the way of their aggressive business decisions of opening multiple locations and expanding the menu the coffee quality turned south. I hope that James can turn things back toward quality coffee because I admired that at one time.

Disgusting place. The other weekend in there I ordered a coffee and one of the employees was eating in the prep area which is a no no and hacking on everything. The the people making the coffee wiped her nose with her hand then went on to grab ice and make coffee without washing her hand. Only go here if you want to catch hepatitis. Side note, the hit all of the identity politics in hiring so if you’re into buying from places who hire on identity and skill then this is the place for you. No one working there showed and sense of food safety.

Great coffee, nice and sweet, just how I like it! Try the peppermint mocha, it's really good!