Avoid if you have a shred of self-respect
Summary of Caribou Coffee in Marina Mall, Dammam, Saudi Arabia: Avoid if you have a shred of self-respect.
My experience at Caribou Coffee confirms it is nothing more than a low-standard Starbucks imitation—certainly not a genuine hospitality business that values quality service.
As a visitor from Britain, where I run a speciality coffee house, artisan bakery, and pizzeria, I decided to escape the heat and enjoy an iced coffee at Caribou Coffee. That decision left a bitter aftertaste, and not because of the coffee.
First, the coffee was served in paper cups—always a red flag for anyone who understands good coffee culture. To their credit, they did provide me with a ceramic cup when I asked, but that was the highlight of the visit.
The service? Mediocre at best. The staff looked bored, disengaged, and barely smiled. Everything felt like an effort. This is usually a sign of a poorly managed team suffering under low morale.
The interior design was equally disappointing and looked more like a school cafeteria than a speciality coffee house.
Despite a large seating area, the space lacked any sense of warmth or coherence. A fake wood-burning stove as decoration—in the middle of summer, in the Gulf? It felt lazy and absurd.
But the real problem came after my second cup. A staff member approached me and asked me to move from my seat because, apparently, a self-important individual—someone I can only describe as an entitled, ill-mannered caricature of privilege—decided he wanted to sit there with his family. There were at least 50 other seats available. This behaviour is not just disrespectful—it contradicts the very fabric of Arab hospitality and Saudi cultural values. It’s insulting and degrading.
In my business, such a customer would be shown the door. Unfortunately, the staff at Caribou Coffee seemed too afraid to say no.
If this is Caribou Coffee's policy—take the customer's money, then treat them as disposable—then they are not the brand I once respected back in the United States.
Honestly, I’m disgusted. If any of my team behaved like this, they’d be immediately sent for retraining in basic manners and professionalism.
Caribou Coffee: Colossal fail.
16. juli 2025
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