TLDR; "Bad coffee in a cafe — what should you do?" (James Hoffmann)
Saving you 10 minutes to learn "probably do nothing"
TLDR; is my series of short summaries for interesting coffee-related videos. You can watch them or read the summary and just save yourself some time.
James Hoffmann dropped a really great video on the topic of what to do when the coffee is bad:
In general, apart from the big "probably say nothing”, your options are:
Give feedback when asked! Some cafes will ask for your feedback so when asked, shoot away.
Do you know and like this place? Just tell the barista their shots are usually better. Be gentle. You might want to come back for more coffee… sometime.
Maybe you just do not like their style of coffee? Find a new place and shop around. Or eat a cake or something.
Can you help them? No, bad coffee in a cafe is a sign of bad company culture or lack of care and knowledge. You won’t be able to fix and save that place.
He also raised a good point that once you request a refund, your relationship with the place is over and you probably won’t have any more coffee there.
It was a really awesome video that touches on a rather delicate subject and you should give it a watch — can be easily transferred for food feedback, too!