Maureen’s Passion

I live in the same building as these guys and love having them as neighbors. Best cup of coffee in the city, great pastries and über friendly employees who are a joy to interact with — especially Jamie. I get my breakfast here every morning and use them for their catering services too — they were on time and the amount of food and coffee provided was perfect. My one complaint is that they are fairly expensive. For a breakfast event last week the best they could do for 50 people was $ 4/​head. For some muffins and pastries and about two cups a person. And I have to say the coffee wasn’t as good when catered as it is when I go in the morning. Still I would recommend this place to anyone in need of a catering service or just looking to grab a coffee and mini pastry on the way to work.

I work on the Upper East Side and our office orders in lunch every day. As you could imagine, we can get a little tired of ordering the same food all the time. Sometime we like to splurge on some über expensive salads and sandwiches for some excitement.
On days like this we order from Maureen’s Passion Food. Its a small fancy deli type place that also caters. Their menu offers a small list of gourmet sandwiches, light Salad platters, wraps and soups.
However the front desk woman at my office HATES ordering from here. She says that they never have what is on the menu, delivery is slow, and they are not good on the phone when taking orders.
Well, the front desk lady was out today and it was my responsibility to take the lunch orders. One of my co-​workers requested this place and I begrudgingly went around the office and collected the orders.
My food adventure began when I tried to call in the order. Despite multiple tries the phone did not work. My office manager asked me to walk over and order in person…
Once I got to the actual store, my experience changed completely. I was greeted by smiling faces making sandwiches. I was enthusiastically greeted by a jolly man who seemed really happy that we came. He seemed very concerned about the phone situation and quickly jumped on the phone and tried to sort out the situations.
Once he took our nine orders we realized why it takes so long to get the deliveries. Each order is made to order with great care. They divide up the order and three people were working on it at the same time. They seemed to work well as a team to get things done. All of the employees were really knowledgeable about the food and honestly seemed passionate about making good quality and delicious food for people.
The store has plenty of eye candy to keep you entertained while you wait for your order. Cases of vibrantly colored delicious looking meats and cheeses line the walls. They also have a special area for small dessert options. They looked delicious.
I left the store excited to eat my sandwich and snag a bite of a apple blueberry crumble i grabbed before I left. I was also excited to share my lovely experience with my coworkers.
I really want to like this place. They have some nice healthy food options and some not so healthy decadence if you so choose. I just wish they would get their act together a bit more. They shouldn’t put breads on the menu that they don’t have on a regular basis. They need to give you a realistic delivery time. Most importantly, they need to share the energy they have for making food with the customers that order over the phone. Maybe they would get more business that way?