Coffee shop not such a ‘Victory’

>The Victory coffee shop on Atwood Avenue has the feel of a great coffee shop where I would be able to get some lunch and a coffee and hangout all afternoon doing homework and reading. But that was far from the case. About 10 minutes after getting to The Victory I wanted to leave which has nothing to do with its awesome decor, cool music, and awesome tin ceiling.

The Victory on Atwood Avenue

The coffee was very strong and nothing too spectacular. The veggies in the vegetarian chili were overpowered by the intense use of cumin and cinnamon. It also had to be heated up in the microwave when I ordered it…that doesn’t say much about the soup’s freshness! But what really turned me off of this cafe was the lack technology access. First off, there is no WiFi…and if that was the only problem I would still understand the appeal of The Victory but that was just the first hit against people who want to stay connected while drinking over priced coffee.

The big problem with this cafe was brought to my attention very abruptly and passive aggressively. I got a call while I was eating my lukewarm chili and 15 seconds into the conversation the owner shoved a “No Cellphones” sign in my face. I’m all-accepting of people who don’t want to use cell phones but I am not OK with people telling me I can’t use mine…especially when the cafe is filled with screaming children and loud alternative rock music already. I am also not ok with how the rule was presented to me. There are no signs posted (trust me…I looked for them pretty thoroughly as I was leaving) so unless you’ve had the sign rudely shoved in your first before, you probably don’t know cell phones are persona non grata. At least post the signs so people can try to follow the rule! It’s actually a pretty good business move because if the sign had been posted on the door I wouldn’t even have gone in. That’s probably not the same for everyone because I am a member of the addicted-to-cellphones generation but I still think you need to tell all of your customers and not just the ones you decide to ambush in the middle of a conversation.

Bottom Line: If the food and coffee were better (and worth the price) I would ignore the disconnected feeling I get without cellphone use and WiFi but I will not be returning to The Victory.