Hennepin County Service Center

It was my first time going in, so I hope this isn’t a fluke, but I went in to get a license and the woman who helped me was such a joy to talk to. She was so friendly, personable, and chatty that I couldn’t believe I was in a city government office dealing with bureaucracy. She was awesome! If you get lucky and get Robin to help you, she’ll brighten your day!
I had an appointment and waited about 20 mins beyond my appt time. She apologized about it profusely.
The other plus to this location is that I got hungry and got a taco at El Burrito Mercado downstairs :)

The dreaded DMV/​service center…
Im sure we can all agree that going to the DMV is the last thing we wanna do. waiting waiting waiting and then you’re greeted with a sunken face that screams ‘I HATE MY JOB’.
However this time around, I decided to give the HCSC on Chicago a try. As I got into the parking lot, I instantly regretted going. It looked busy, and I thought i would be waiting for hours. To my surprise, it was actually lacking a lot of people. I only had to wait for about 10 minutes until my number was called.
I had the most positive experience with a woman by the name of ROBIN. She was honestly such a breath of fresh air. She was kind, understanding and could relate to my (at the time) dilemma. She said to me «Honey don’t worry, I’m going to take care of everything for you.» Which made me tear up, considering I had been to multiple DMV’s, even emailed a rep, all concluding with different answers, in the span of 4 months.
SHE IS AN ASSET TO THIS LOCATION AND TRULY KNOWS HOW TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

If I could give this place ZERO stars I would! Avoid at all costs! My fiancé and I came here to apply for our marriage license… Ended up waiting in line for 30 minutes for a number… After another 30 minutes we finally get called up, then they wouldn’t wait for us to fill out an application, which would have taken 2 freaking minutes! Instead they made us go back in line to wait for another number! After a good hour and a half we finally get up to start the process. After we did the process and paid, the stupid clerk messed up the transaction, which messed up our entire marriage license process. She had to start all over. I am already a stressed out bride and this bullshit and these idiots pushed me over the edge! Stay away from this place!

You never know what you’ll get at the DMV… you should never go in expecting it to be quick, efficient or friends (sad isn’t it?)
HOWEVER, I really enjoy the Midtown location. Not only can you grab a bunch of rad stuff while there but the folks that work at this DMV location are really fantastic!
Every person I have interacted with in my two trips were kind, helpful and happy (YES, HAPPY!)
It can get busy at this location but I recommend it. Conveniently on the Greenway, shopping needs are met, and kind DMV staff.
Do it.

I’m quite certain this place is the earthly manifestation of Dante’s fifth circle of Hell. After spending an hour and a half there waiting in line for a number, waiting for my number to be called, taking the written exam to switch from an out-​of-​state license to a MN license, and then waiting for my number to be called again, they then sent me to THE BACK OF THE LINE to get another number so that I could sit and wait to be called up to actually apply for my new license. Yes, after an hour and a half, I got to start over again. That means I got to spend a total of 3 hours sitting on sticky vinyl seats and listening to screeching toddlers. Thank you, Midtown Service Center!

Super fast. Super easy. Efficient, helpful staff. This has always been my DMV and I honestly have never understood why people complain about DMVs.
Plan ahead and go during a less busy time.

This place is really great. I was trying to get my passport renewed. I had gone to two other service centers (one in Edina) and each time was told I didn’t have the right paperwork. I couldn’t even figure out why they were asking for some of the things they are asking for. It was ridiculou and I was running out of time. When I went to this service center in the Midtown Global Market, they took me into a separate room, reviewed all my documents (and said I didn’t need all of these) and got my renewal processed. The person who assisted me really cared and took the time to not only get this done but also handled the two other things I needed to do that day so I didn’t have to wait in line again. I have used this service center many times and each time the service has been wonderful and the wait time has been no more, and sometimes far less, than other county service centers I had used in the past.
FOLLOWUP: This center used to be open on Saturdays but the website says it is now only open M-​F. I had always gone in on Saturdays, which is when I got such great service.

So it turns out I never did pay that speeding ticket from last August. I remember writing the check, but I guess it never got sent. After spending some time in the back of a squad car on Tuesday, I figured I should take care of that.
I came to the Midtown service center in the lower level of Midtown Global Market. At 2 P.M. on a weekday afternoon there was a line out the door and up to the stairs. There was no one manning the service desk to give out numbers. They had twenty some counters available, but only half a dozen or so were staffed. After waiting for just over an hour under those god-​awful buzzing lights, they still hadn’t come anywhere near calling my number (I think they were still like eight or so away). I had to get to work, so I waited in line again to tell the guy I was leaving without reinstating my license. Now I still can’t drive anywhere (which would be okay if MTC didn’t suck so hard in my neighborhood), and I get to go to the downtown location tomorrow good and early. So I guess that’ll be another afternoon I’ll never be able to get back. Seriously, I don’t care how conveniently located this office is — don’t waste your time. Take the extra fifteen minutes and go downtown. You’ll still get back home faster.