El Cerrito Plaza Bart Food and Snack Bar

Time: 7:42am/67°F partly sunny
Purpose: A colleague ask me to pick her up at ECP Bart station on our way to Fairfield. She ask me to purchase $ 4.50 adult ticket for return trip ECP to Union City later tonight so she won’t have to fiddle with her wallet. It make sense in this area, I don’t blame her.
Set-​up: Small hole in wall snack shop located on ECP Bart station premises. This shop sits right in front of main station agent booth next to ticket machine and schedule. Place is just enough to fit one person inside. The front has a newspaper rack, umbrella holder, ad board, coffee pots, utensils, trash can.
Staff: Older man about 70s sat there very grumpy looking. Since I had a $ 50 bill, the change machine at Bart only except $ 1 to $ 20 only. I needed change to get colleague her ticket. The man straight up said, «you need buy now»! Feeling guilty, I ask what dogs do you sell? He said what you see on menu is what you get. I pointed out if its all beef frank? He said yes. I went ahead place order and wait.
Cleanliness: Grade C, lots of items place were might be health hazard if inspection comes along that day. Condiment bottles were sticky. Don’t know how people get ketchup on outside of squeeze bottle. Some sugar packets were use then left back inside box. Boxes from Costco were strewn around back area after replenishing his inventory.
Eats/​Drinks: Original dog $ 3.25 no cheese. In the beginning when I ask all beef? He said yes! Later when I retrieve dog, I saw him with a pack of Bar S hotdog. By now, I really wanted to cancel dog and explain to him why. However, I’m doing it only because colleague is gonna be pulling up soon. The hot dog didn’t look anything on picture. It’s the cheapest enriched white flour bun and Bar S hot dog. Total value no more than .26¢ for dog and bun. He’s making 12X’s the profit. In baseball term would be batting over a thousand.
Main Feature: Hot dogs
Products/​Services: Candy, energy bar, chip, cough drop, umbrella, maps, coffee/​tea, cookie, assorted bottle soda/​juice, batteries, head scarf, necklace/​bracelet, single serve pain reliever etc.
Punch Lines: Lackluster, snooty service, attitude, off putting, go elsewhere, more than competitive prices, pretentious, deceiving, false advertising, Bart, AC Transit, taxis, lot parking paid Mon-​Fri 4am-​3pm.
Tradeoffs: He got it made with the (no change) without purchase policy. Bart change machine only takes up to $ 20.
Final Thoughts: I guess with the economy in a bit of a turmoil. Consumer spending is still iffy as, we haven’t recover from last year yet. For some they’re heartless. No matter what, they’ve to make something themselves before helping others. Now, I won’t blame it all on him itself. I was partially to blame also and, I’ll admit that. Very seldom, I would carry a $ 50 bill. I only have it because of previous night at TJs as total purchase was $ 11.56, I handed over $ 62 and receive $ 50.44 back. Right there and then, I should’ve ask to break it down. To make this short. It wasn’t about the change part that upset me. It was the hot dog situation. I would keep my cool if it was a pack of Ballpark franks, it wasn’t. One star for location, second star for hours of operation.

I see the owner has some haters who are upset that a convenience store dares charge them more than Grocery Outlet for anything. This place is mega handy — for that luxury, you gotta pay a lil more. It’s called free market capitalism. He’s got rent to pay (I seriously doubt BART is giving him that space for free) and mouths to feed so he can’t sell a 20oz soda for just a dime more than he paid for it. Also, I’m betting those Al Gore approved coffee cups cost him double what he pays for «I don’t care about the environment» cups. So, he buys the cheaper cups and uses the difference to feed his family — how Republican of him!!! Anyway, this guy has always been cool to me, appreciative of my business, good people skills, and never gives me attitude. One time he even let me take a soda even though I didn’t have enough money and said «pay me next time». So, he aint quite the evil, heartless, top 1%, some reviewers are implying.

Seriously? I wanted to buy a snack since I’d rushed out of the house and missed breakfast and the guy says I have to buy more than $ 5 for him to break my $ 20? Hope this place closes down.
Money is money.

I think it is great to have a little shop right there when one gets on and off a train to grab a snack, drink or a pack of gum. What gets me is the fact that the prices are marked up about a ¼ of what other places are charging. I wanted a quick cup of coffee and and saw the price and almost fell out of my shorts at one the price and two the size of the cup (the cup was not even green friendly)! So I went with a no on that one and then said I will grab a soda, for a 20oz soda it was $ 2.25 — I cold have bought two 2 liters for that or even two cups of coffee at Peetes Coffee. Then when I looked more in depth at the price list I think you all would have lost your shorts at the prices. It would be one thing if the guy behind the plastic glass was friendly and got my joke of being charged highway robbery, but he just yelled at me for his $ 2.25 — so mental note I will never get something there again, regardless of how much I am craving something!