Kneeland St Cafe

I work in the building in which the café resides, and at first, I was very excited at the convenience factor. however, my excitement was soon squashed. The first red flag was the difficulty, and almost hostility, I received when paying with a debit/​credit card. Myself and co-​workers have all been told numerous times that «we charge you more for using cards.» This rubbed my the wrong way, so I looked up Massachusetts State Laws regarding this «fee» and quickly found that businesses are not allowed to tack on extra change as a penalty for using a card, however, they are more than welcome to offer a discount for those paying with cash. FINE. The menu prices listed, however, are their cash prices, so when you do pay with card, you’re charged more than the menu price. I realize this is a small verbiage formality and that I’m just sounding cheap, but my feelings of being cheated have only worsened with additional transactions…
I have ordered the same latte, same size, same flavor shot, same woman making it, three times. The first two times, I paid with card and was charged $ 4.00. The listed price for my latte was 3.25, so I was confused at how tax and their ‘card upcharge’ fee tacked on an exact extra 75 cents. The third time around I happened to have cash, and sadly when handed my coffee, was again charged $ 4.00. At this point I was already unhappy with their menu pricing, so I contested it. The woman didn’t know how to react. Her tactic was to point at the menu board and claim that the latte is 3.25 and tax is not included in that price. After some more discussion she reveals that my flavor shot is .35 (which is not mentioned on their menu board). At his point I’m feeling like I might just be crazy, but she turns her computer monitor to me and punches the order in. She comes out with a total of 3.79 or so, just hands me 30 cents, and apologizes.
So my question is this, if I am being charged 4.00, but their system thinks it received 3.80, where does that 20 cents go? I realize that 20 cents is a small sum, and that I may be over reacting, however, after the numerous confusions and issues I have had with payment alone, I feel as if there is some shady money handling here. I still do not know how they calculate the price they charge, based on the price that’s posted. Will Not Return.

This is a brand new place, clearly still ironing out the kinks. While it has the all the workings to be great, it’s not quite there yet. However, I am so very glad that there is finally a quick place to grab coffee, a bagel, or a sandwich connected to my building. That’s a huge win.
Things they need to figure out:
— Credit Card Payments
— Heat. (bring your jacket, even if you’re coming down from the same building)
— The display of hot food (not too appetizing)
— The timing. Only two people were working during the lunch rush of excited office workers happily taking the elevator down instead of making the trek into the treacherous winter, and it took about 15 minutes for my panini to be made.
They offer an array of breakfast pastries, which looked inviting enough. It’s about $ 6 – 7 for a sizable panini. I got the Southwestern and it was absolutely smothered in cheese, but, hey, I’m from Wisconsin so I can’t complain.