Outer Banks Coffee Company

You’re thinking that a place like this can’t be *that* bad. I hear you, I had the same reaction. Unfortunately, I was completely wrong, and I would never go back. The basic problem is that this is a business that seems to absolutely hate it’s customers. Signs everywhere telling you what you cannot do in incredible aggressive, unfriendly language, including a sign about paying to use the bathroom that is so intense we were not about to ask if it meant we had to actually pay a fee to use the bathroom or whether we could use it because we’d bought some coffee. The atmosphere is pretty terrible even apart from the signs – a few random tables under a TV (loudly playing some dude telling you to invest in gold), a bunch of random «stuff» lying around so that the place has that «never clean» feel to it. Weirdly, we thought the coffee was okay relative to what some other folks have said, but it’s such an uninviting place that I wouldn’t go back even for takeaway.
It has to be difficult to run a coffee shop type business in such a seasonal spot. The business model for coffee shops in a city plainly is not going to work – you can’t have people hanging out there all day after ordering one cup of coffee, you’ll just go bankrupt.
But this is *not* the way to solve the problem. Easy example: water is a source or revenue for you in a way that it wouldn’t be somewhere else. Rather than having an angry sign that you only sell bottled water, just include «tap water» $.50 on your menu. Or, heck, have a sign that just says that you want to be inviting, but the reality of staying in business in a place like the Outer Banks means that things are a bit different and then *nicely* list those differences.
And for the love of $@#$, if it’s low season, maybe alter your high season practices to be move inviting…

Stopped in while on vacation. Very good coffee. I will be back to purchase coffee beans to take home to Ohio.

What a crotchety old man who runs this place. Signs everywhere make the customer feel unwelcome and the victim of hostility. The coffee isn’t that good either.

This place is awful. They have a permanent sign on the door that says «no wraps or sandwiches today» after the sign outside that says «wraps and sandwiches!» $ 3 for a cup of coffee that tastes like an ashtray. The array of sweets are clearly from food lion. Literally no positives.

I like small independent coffee shops and this place has a great selection of unique coffee flavors (gingerbread, peppermint patty, banana, etc.), chocolate covered coffee beans, and candy!
I went there just 2 minutes before closing at 3 (September hours) and the owner was really nice stayed late to get my order of 3 coffees, candy, and other items.
I would recommend this coffee shop to anyone who wants to try flavors that are not available elsewhere.

Awful experience here. We came in, ordered 3 drinks and a scone, and I asked for half a cup of boiling water to heat a bottle for my daughter. The scone was good, but the iced drinks were weak. The guy had an attitude and simply turned on the tap to pour room temperature water. Really? Signage was rude and condescending and pointed out that they don’t want any customers. We ended up at Dunkin Donuts and finally got boiling water. Should’ve just gone there first! My question — why is this place still in business? Don’t waste your money.

Looks like a welcoming shop from the shopping center until you walk in, and the place is plastered with notices from management about «correct ordering practices». The staff behind the counter were unfriendly and rude. Get your coffee from lighthouse bagels!

The next time I come here I’m going to use the bathroom without buying anything. Then i’m going to order a coffee and after they hand it to me, tell them I wanted it over ice. Then i’m going to plug my laptop into an outlet other than those designated with signs as being for laptops. Seriously, the coffee was fine and the server behind the counter seemed friendly, but the signs telling customers what they can’t do were over the top. It became comical after a while.

The best part about this place are all of the funny signs on the tables and bathroom regarding use for customers only. One notice about iced coffee ordering is particularly noteworthy. As others have said they mostly sell other stuff, none of which I was interested in. People behind the counter are fairly short and, while not rude, really not polite. Coffee is ok.

My latte & cinnamon roll were both pretty lousy. I should have checked Unilocal before I wasted my money.

A million reasons to say I hate this place. We were outside trying to put up one of the umbrellas and the owner came up from his car and proceeded to yell at us, claiming the umbrella was broken because of people like us (who were just trying to use it??). It is never good practice to yell at a customer. To top it all off, the food and drinks were bland. I got a smoothie and it’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. I will never come back, and I suggest you steer clear.

Had a very uncomfortable experience here. The girl behind the counter was nice enough, however the owner was very rude. He barked at us from his car without introducing himself, then proceeded to storm in and out of the café, giving us angry looks while we ate our lunch. When we went back inside for napkins, he was complaining loudly about our party. His attitude explained the passive aggressive signage throughout the café. In addition, the food was mediocre at best. Will never return here.

Coffee was good but definitely not worth the price and the service was awful. I definitely do not recommend this coffee shop. It could be so much better with the location and the clientele.

Certainly not what it used to be. When the previous owner started this place it was cool with good coffee Not anymore. It is crowded and not at all friendly. The operator is not personable and the coffee is just ok. A shame really as a good coffee shop here would do great business.

I think half of the experience of a coffee shop is the ambience and as soon as I walk in I realize how crowded it is with other non-​coffee products, like candy and such. I think if their business’ name was something different then I wouldn’t have minded so much, but I feel if you call yourself a coffee company, then it should just be that. Coffee drinks and plenty of seating for your patrons. Also, just the way it was decorated was super bright. I’m not used to that, but I wouldn’t penalize them for that specifically, because it is a beach town, but I wish it would have been more cozy.
On that note, I purchased a caramel latte for my husband and he really loved it. That is his go-​to drink and he is quick to say when he doesn’t like it, but he did enjoy it.

Don’t ask to customize or add shots of expresso to your frappé. The foreign help will say no and the American boss will look at you funny.
Second visit much better but nothing special.
Mr. Wes,
Thank you for the reply, i understand your shop was not a «National Chain» and I never order frappes from those places. I always order frappes from local shops because 9 out of 10 times, they make it just like how i like it.
Just later that day, I found a local shop on S 12 and the nice older barista made it just perfect. I wish i remember the name of the shop. It was on the top level of a stand alone building. She sold ice cream and sold jewelry.
Anyhow, thank you for the reply. I may return later this year and will keep my order simple.
TD

Yikes! Bad roasting on the outer banks. As I have come to find the Outer Banks of North Carolina has some really great coffee roasters. This my friends is not one of them! As soon as you walk in you can smell the distinct smell of stale coffee beans, and the taste… well just the same. Not at all impressed. Do yourself a favor, and skip this roaster, and try Front Porch Café or Morning View. As others have stated possibly bad ownership/​management.

While the coffee is pretty good, I won’t be going back.
Several lovely E. Europeans on the staff. Their manager is incredibly unkind to them. On two visits young women working in the shop left in tears. While in line, I could hear the manager (owner?) telling them that they’d made mistakes and that it would come out of their pay.
$ 3.50 for a 16 ounce iced coffee!
Bad vibe!

The Outer Banks Coffee Company is a cute little shop tucked away along the main strip in Corolla. Kids will love the tempting display of candy and other sweet treats when entering the store.
There is a wide-​range of coffee specialties available but I always stick with the drip. The coffee was a little bitter but still nice and strong. The staff are quick and efficient.
I love the feel of an independent coffee shop and the OBX Coffee does not disappoint. There are several tables available for relaxing and a few gifts and souvenirs available. You can also buy fresh-​roasted coffee beans.
Be sure to check out the live web-​cam on their website for some fun views of the store (under the «About» section.)

I am fairly certain that if I ever require a blood transfusion, someone will test me for compatibility and find that my blood has been replaced by something between and light and a medium roast. I love coffee. It is 90% of my daily water intake easily.
Now that we got that out of the way, I’ll give you a brief overview of this eclectic café.
I’ve been going to this shop for the last three years on our vacations to the Outer Banks. This year, on our first morning (with eyes half opened and no coffee filters in our rental house) I stumbled in while they were roasting. Ahh. Fantastic smells coming from this shop packed with coffees, cold drinks and confections made my first morning of vacation not only livable, but enjoyable.
I got a medium roast, an Americano, and a Breve — all three received thumbs up (even though my wife would have preferred a dark roast).
When you drop in here, spend some time just taking it in. There are plenty of witty signs, magnets, postcards, etc to keep you interested for a good 30 minutes at least. All while enjoying a legit cup of coffee.