Take Courage

Coffee Shop Review – The Hub

While driving through Danville Kentucky I spotted a coffee shop on the corner. Kim and I were hoping we would find a coffee shop to stop at. We did not want fast food coffee, gas station coffee or donut shop coffee. We parked on the street and walked back to The Hub Coffee House and Café www.thehubcoffeehousencafe.com. It is connected to Centre College Bookstore.

We spent a little time in the bookstore because we like them too. Then we went over to The Hub to order coffee. The place was not busy at all and we were waiting for someone to ask us if we wanted anything. One of the sales people a young lady, seemed more interested in talking to a young man at the counter than taking our order. I didn’t want to be rude, but I kept moving closer to them hoping to get her attention. In my mind I’m thinking, “would you mind helping me spend my money here?”

She finally asks us if we wanted anything and I tell her she can finish helping the young man. She tells me its o.k. we were just talking. My wife and I tried to ask her some questions about the coffee they serve (Sunergos, Higher Grounds and Stauf’s) and about the coffee shop. She either didn’t know how to answer our questions or she didn’t want to talk with us. Since we both like Sunergos (and we have reviewed them before) Kim ordered Higher Grounds medium roast Mexican and I ordered the H.G. dark roast called Fresh Water Land Trust.

Both coffees were good. My wife drank hers black and really enjoyed the flavor. It wasn’t too bold, and had a slight citrus flavor. I got the bottom of the pot and it wasn’t that warm. She heated it with the espresso milk scalder. I thought she would offer to make a fresh pot. The dark roast wasn’t too bold and I told Kim I would like to try a fresh pot of this coffee. We also ordered a chocolate chip sandwich cookie and it was a little too sweet.

You may wonder why we stopped again on the return trip. Well I believe everyone deserves a second chance and we did not see any other coffee shops, anywhere. Kim likes a flavored coffee at times so she ordered Stauf’s Chocolate-Orange blend. It had a hint of bittersweet chocolate and slight orange taste. She liked it a lot. I ordered a Higher Grounds medium roast called Red Ribbon Blend. It was smooth and light in my mouth and was a bolder taste than I expected from a medium roast. I drank it black because it tasted so good.

The sales person who waited on us was different and she seemed to be interested in talking with us and serving us. The dark roast was old and she offered to make a fresh pot if we wanted to wait. This was totally different service compared to the day before. We were asking her questions about the coffee and the shop and she tried to answer them. She even asked us to talk with the manager; I think her name was Natalie.

I’m not sure if service there is always hit or miss, but based on my first time there I was not impressed. The second visit was a better experience. At the Leader’s Retreat one of the topics we discussed was the importance of customer service. The Hub needs to improve on customer service. They need some consistency in their staff. They seem to have great coffee selection, some good sales people, and a manager who seemed to care about customers. A little training and they could be a very good coffee shop.

We are looking forward to our next coffee shop adventure whether it’s good or bad because we do it together.

Much GRACE and peace to you,

Bill and Kim

Romans 15:13; Psalm 34:1-10