Organic/ Fair trade doesn’t always mean good customer service

By Dallas Head

The organic fad is here to stay and it seems that everyone has hopped on board the bandwagon. According to health.com, Colorado is the 8th healthiest state based on “the lowest rates for obesity and diabetes in the United States”. However, Colorado itself is in the above average range of interest in coffee according to a 2004–2015 study about the word “coffee” being google searched.

So I’ve decided to state my opinion about local coffee shops in Old Town Fort Collins, specifically Wild Boar Cafe, located in Old Town Fort Collins and The Alleycat Cafe located literally in the alley off of Laurel between College and Mason.

I will give them a rating of 1 to 5 based on the criteria of customer service, length of the time it takes to get the coffee out and how environmentally friendly the cafe’s are.

T o begin, I visited the “Wild Boar Cafe”. I was greeted by the barista immediately. When I asked what their most popular drink was, she really didn’t have an answer and just simply stated “probably just a Vanilla Latte”. So that’s what I ordered, and man was it delicious! I was able to find a seat fairly easily and began working on my studies. But after about 15 minutes, I went up to the counter only to find my coffee had been sitting there without any ever calling me saying it was ready. I asked how long it had been sitting there and a different barista didn’t know (I had sat close enough to hear them call the order if they had at all). Though they were apologetic, it seemed to be merely out of courtesy, not necessarily out of true feeling, but that is all personal opinion.

Though they didn’t really have the best service, their coffee was amazing and is locally sold by Coda Coffee. Their website states that their “Farm2Cup certification ensures that you can feel good about the coffee you drink. By initiating…investing in the farming communities and bring a better quality of life for farmers, we are able to bring you the highest quality coffee possible” (codacoffee.com).

Wild Boar Cafe was delicious, don’t get me wrong, but I expect a quality of service when visiting a coffee shop. Overall I give it a 3 out of 5 star rating, missing the customer service piece but they did use Coda Coffee, which has the “social responsibility (going) hand-in-hand with sustainability” (codacoffee.com).

Next, I visited The Alleycat Cafe. This little cafe is tucked away from the busy street of Laurel and is decorated to the nines. First off, it’s open 24/7! This immediately peaked my interest, since most students want to work on homework after work or when the library closes on CSU’s campus. The ceiling tiles were painted by customers and it gave a local vibe feel to the place. This place also has Wi-Fi, which is a definite necessity when it comes to doing homework now-a-days. The couches were comfortable and there was always a spot open every time I go in there.

When I asked the barista what the drink of choice usually was, he automatically answered “the Alley Cat Chai Shake”. Granted, I’m not a big chai fan but I decided to give it a whirl. It was the best thing I had ever had! It’s a chai frappe and it is honestly to die for. If you have never had one before, you need to please your taste buds with this amazing creation. There were also plenty of outlets to plug in my computer and I only waited about 10 minutes for the shake, at which time he actually called out my name for me to come pick it up.

To top it off, they use Jackie’s Java which uses “uncompromising passion for the finest, ethically sourced coffee, crafted to perfection and roasted to order” (Jackie’s Java website). Overall, I give The Alleycat Cafe a 5 out of 5 stars. Not only do they use ethically sourced coffee, they had wonderful customer service and it’s a place that is not easily forgotten.

Between the two cafes, it’s obvious that the Alleycat Cafe won this round. But the fact that Fort Collins has so many coffee shops to choose from, it’s not easy to pick a true winner. I feel that the people of Fort Collins have so many options to choose from that they just need to explore and find a coffee house that fits their personality (because goodness knows there’s different personalities in this city making it quite unique).