Even though The Pearl Cup’s counter feels like a diner, do not ask for a coffee refill. Just because a customer has a real coffee mug does not mean refills are free. Coffee refill rules vary from place to place. At least Starbucks doesn’t confuse people with real mugs and diner decor. If I’m ordering food served warm on a real plate, while sitting at a diner-looking counter, then I expect to be up in the refill coffee club. This is not difficult.
I asked the guy at the counter what’s the deal. Basically, be willing to pay $1.08 or move on with your no-coffee-refill-life. I silently sat trying to decide whether this $1.08 coffee-mug-refill-rip-off was going to happen during breakfast. I was ordering more than a muffin. They serve semi-meals here. No free refill on basic coffee while eating is a total breakfast violation. Being a brand new coffee drinker, it’s my deal to feel this makes zero sense. Professional coffee house people can disagree all the way to the bank to get an extra $1.08.
After a full blown investigation, a secret source working inside The Pearl Cup admitted that, sadly, purchasing coffee at the counter means getting three sips less than in a to-go cup. This means people eating at the counter are missing out on previously purchased coffee. Maybe I want my three sips. Maybe being given these sips is my right as an American citizen. I paid tax on the whole cup of coffee. Now I have to eat breakfast without a coffee refill knowing I’ve been robbed of three whole sips. How many other people have missed out on these three sips? While this is a less than average outrage, hardcore coffee people must unite.
My first fruit cup was offensive. It didn’t even have a banana, strawberry, pineapple, or apple. There were almost 86 berries making up this fruit cup. Berries were all over the place. I asked the coffee guy what’s up with this fruit cup having all of these scary berries. He said since they are out of the other fruit, he used a bunch of berries. Really? What part of only berries makes up a fruit cup? It should just be called a berry cup. If I wanted a berry cup, I would have ordered a berry cup. He said he was already planning on running across the street to buy fruit for the $6 fruit cup on the menu. Thanks. Thanks a lot. The second attempt at the $6 fruit cup was pitiful. The banana was mushy and the fruit wasn’t fresh. While not being an apple expert, witnessing a brown apple forces a brief moment of apple sorrow.
Fact: Pearl Cup is not winning awards for food. This is something I know without researching. In their defense, this building is focusing on coffee. Pearl Cup isn’t pretending to be Per Se. They want to sling all kinds of fancy coffee drinks and call it a day, minus pesky food bloggers bothering them about mushy bananas and dark brown apples. Drink some coffee and beat it. That’s all.
Problem: If you serve food, work harder to ensure the food is fresh. Maybe your coffee is the bomb. Your fruit is not the bomb. I tried to order a blueberry muffin, but there weren’t any to order. I nixed ordering the veggie wrap after ongoing thoughts of the non-fresh-fruit-cup-assault. My flag had been raised. Adios.
This is just my experience. People giving awards probably had a totally different fruit cup delivered. Maybe latte drinkers feel euphoric while gazing into their table neighbor’s steaming hot, um, espresso. Maybe smart customers don’t order fruit cups. Rich people probably don’t mind paying $1.08 for a refill either.
The employees at The Pearl Cup are genuinely kind, hard working people. Everyone just loves this place! If you don’t mind paying for refills on basic coffee, while eating breakfast at the counter, I would recommend heading over to The Pearl Cup.
FIVE: High 5!
FOUR: Please & Thank You
THREE: Yada
TWO: Double Wow
ONE: Wow + Ouch = Wouch
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The Pearl Cup
1900 North Henderson Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206
214.824.9500
pearlcupcoffee.com
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IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: None of the food or coffee received was free. The fruit cup should have been free, but the fruit cup was not free. If I liked dark brown apples then I would have said I like dark brown apples. My opinion is mine and you can’t have it.
