by Jen G 
What’s in a name? Cafe Royal (195 Nassau Ave) was shutdown and in its’ place the owners of the building, who for reasons unknown want to remain anonymous, reopen the doors tomorrow June 21st, with a new name: Cafe Edna.
What do you think about the name change?
I chatted with manager Samantha Sharifi, one of Greenpoint’s loveliest baristas to find out…
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I didn’t know they were shutting down. I just showed up there one morning and it was closed. I’ll be checking this place out tomorrow.
Didn’t know they close either! The chef I awesome, always a smile & hello! The baristas need to all be replaced! Or get jobs at cafe grumpy. They are all miserable & so unfriendly. Maybe one or two are nice, but the main regular girl has got to go! Especially when they made iced late with spoiled milk! And when questioned, they asked me & my friends to taste a new carton of milk because they don’t drink milk themselves! I didn’t mind the giant rooster, but I guess Edna is good too. Their sandwiches are awesome & the sunflower bread is delicious. Plus, I’m happy to hear they have new furniture!! But if you see the baristas on the street & say hello – don’t expect a response!
Hi Liz,
We want to apologize for any past experiences at Cafe Royal and assure that changes have been made for the new Cafe Edna. We hope to see you again soon so you can see for yourself. And for your first visit, your coffee is on me. 🙂
um, maybe they want to re-open with a new name because they have TERRIBLE reviews on yelp because of the RUDE baristas there. the “same great staff”?!?? yeah, i won’t be going there. there’s plenty of other coffee shops in GP.
Hi Shannon,
Apologies for your past interactions with Cafe Royal’s staff. Please know that serious changes have been made, and we would appreciate a second chance! If your (Toby’s Estate) coffee isn’t delicious and served with a smile, please personally write me, and I will see that your situation is remedied. Also, your first coffee is on the house. Hope to see you soon!
Samantha,
Thank you! I will definitely try it out. That’s very kind of you to apologize. It’s the closest coffee shop to my apt, so it will be nice to be able to stop in for my morning coffee!
Thanks again.
i love this reconciliation through the blog! gets me all choked up inside!
I’m glad others mentioned Cafe Royal’s terrible customer service. Only the breakfast burritos were worth the baristas’ eye rolls.
Wonder why Cody Utzman is abandoning his empire. First the change of management to Papacito’s — I asked someone to explain the new menu’s “white sauce” to me, and he couldn’t — and now this. In any case, it sounds like Samantha’s on the right track.
Samantha rules! The staff has always been really nice in my experience.
Hi! Since it seems like there’s an open dialogue here I thought I’d chime in to say that Cafe Royal brewed the worst coffee in the neighborhood. It’s SO convenient for me because I live a couple blocks away but I always avoided going there because the coffee was bitter. I’d love to give Cafe Edna a try if the coffee will be better. I know they use good coffee, so I think the problem must be in the making of it.
Thanks Jen D. I think the cafe is taking all the feedback very seriously and there is always an open dialogue here as long as everyone plays nice – which you did! 🙂
Weird, I had great customer servicer every time I went. One barista even called me “hun.” It was like a Jersey diner moment. Can’t wait for the cafe to reopen already!!!