Makes a change from coffee at 7-Eleven!

Based off the Saint Frank Coffee location I’ve been to in SF this will be quite the upgrade from 7-eleven...if you’re a coffee snob only CoffeeBar is going to be comparable as far as other local options go. Excited to check out their new location.

This article - though nicely explains the wonderful new development, is fairly glib about the loss of a Heritage tree. Unless you highlighted Heritage Tree you would not have known the reason it was lost. With the trees being taken down at Ravenswood it might have been wise to let your readers know about the rains that may have or have not contributed to this trees demise.

There's no seating. It's a walk-up window coffee bar. Eric Schmidt was told to build it for the community, so to "kill two birds with one stone" he really built the coffee bar for his employees who can enjoy a cup of coffee while sitting in their cozy offices. He didn't want to build a nice coffee shop where locals can sit and chat with each other. That is not its function. That is why there is no seating inside or out. That was his great contribution to the community and why two beautiful oak trees, a laundromat, restaurant, nail salon, hair salon and other businesses were removed. Thank you Eric. I enjoy now having to load my laundry into my car and driving to Redwood City to do my laundry.

In another article it states that Saint Frank Coffee is also the on sight coffee supplier at Facebook. Eric is just another big tech guy with deep pockets who can have an on-site coffee bar for his employees. He's not thinking about the public. If he cared about the public he would have built a coffee shop with indoor seating, or a laundromat.

To: Save Menlo Park

Thank you for your comments! I couldn't agree more!

pearl

@Save Menlo Park, there's a laundromat just across El Camino Real from the train station - Web Link

They have self service, wash and fold, and dry cleaning. I'm pretty sure you can meet your laundry needs without driving to Redwood CIty, even if it's a convenient bit of hyperbole.

Also, there are a lot of commuters who take the train. I suspect a walk-up coffee bar near the train station will do good business, and provide a valuable service for commuters looking for some pre-work caffeine that's better than 7-11 and closer than Starbucks.

@MP Resident, there's a reason I (and my neighbors) will not use the laundromat you mentioned. Basically, our clothes do not seem clean after using their washing machines. Also, it's difficult to find a place to park there because the lot is used by many businesses. Even if there was ample parking I'm done washing my clothes there. The laundromat demolished to accommodate Eric's building was easily accessible to the local neighbors and also had ample parking.

No seating? Really?

To: Save Menlo Park

I quit using that laundromat years ago for the same reasons, plus at the time I was using it, there were often homeless people camped out there, using the bathroom as a place to get cleaned up and to hang out for awhile.

pearl

I checked out the coffee shop this morning. Coffee is great which was expected. As for seating there is some but in limited amounts. They definitely need more, ideally something a bit more comfortable than the 4 Fermob bistro style tables and chairs they currently have. They could perhaps take a look at the recently built outdoor seating area adjacent the new Verve Coffee shop on University Ave in PA for inspiration. I get the concept is not necessarily to be a coffee shop where a ton of people hang out, but there's likely enough demand for additional seating, plus they have the space. It does appear they're still working on the finishing touches for the property, perhaps more seating is coming.