I'm going to be honest right off the bat...the winner is Stumptown Coffee Roasters hands down for a multitude of reasons. I might be biased since I frequent Stumptown almost every day, but even if I compared just a few visits with that of my visits at Blue Bottle, Stumptown always wins. And yes, the experience has been the same at each different Blue Bottle. So let's go over that.
1. Better Service
Let's just say that the baristas at Stumptown are some of my favorite people I've known since I've lived here. Walking in and being greeted with a smile, asking how the dogs I watch are doing, asking how I'm feeling while I'm sick...it all adds to it. Granted, most of this stuff is from them knowing me so long but even as I witness them with new people, everyone is treated like family.
Blue Bottle? Not so much. Even my first time on abbot Kinney, I was greeted with annoyance as I told them I din't know what I wanted since it was my first time. When I even asked if I could add anything like syrup, they acted both insulted and dumfounded that I could ask such a thing. Answered with an annoyed "uh no?", I proceeded to just order a latte with soy. I might also add that there was no one in front of me yet I waited 10 minutes for my drink...
2. Stumptown Allows Dogs
In my opinion, this just means better business as you're opening yourself up to a whole new market of dog owners. Also, do you know how happy it makes me to walk in for my morning latte and there's a little wiggly fluffy butt staring at me just begging for attention? Since Stumptown only serves prepared food, having dogs in the establishment is legal per health code laws. Proof? Here's a photo posted by Stumptown about their proud dog culture!
Blue Bottle likes to do something kinda strange in my opinion...they use dogs in their marketing ploys on social media (see below) but makes it very clear outside their establishment that dogs are absolutley not allowed inside. There's even a section of their website "Dogs of Blue Bottle", which in my opinion is very deceiving as none of the dogs are actually inside a Blue Bottle (minus the first photo which is an open air location so it doesn't count).
3. We Want Ground Coffee!
In reality, who actually all has a coffee bean grinder? A very small part of the population might, but the average coffee coniseour does not. What's nice is that Stumptown automatically asks you if you'd like your beans ground up and then customizes it to your type of coffee machine and filter.
Blue Bottle? Nope. My roommate went to buy a bag and when she asked if they could grind it, she was met with attitude and told she can try the Whole Foods down the street. I'm sorry, but if you won't grind the beans for your customers, maybe sell the coffee already ground up. And don't have an attitude about it either.
4. Flavor It Up
I do love coffee but one thing I love even more is flavors in my coffee. It's not much but Stumptown at least gives you the option add Vanilla to your latte or macchiato. To me, it makes a huge difference in flavor. Remember my first point? When asking about flavors at a Blue Bottle location, it was met with annoyance.
For now, I think I got my main points across. When I go somewhere like a coffee shop, I want to truly enjoy the experience. Stumptown gives that to me and has since the first day I moved to Los Angeles. Blue Bottle? Step up your game.
