Specialty’s Bakery & Cafe

First the positives: Food is always good. I’ve never ordered anything I ended up not liking.
But I give 2 stars because of the negatives. I work in one of the nearby offices, so the online pre-​ordering system in theory is very convenient — I order, get a text message, walk over and pick up. In practice it doesn’t work this way. Even after the lunch rush is over I’ve more than once received a text, walked down, and ended up having to wait another 10 — 15 mins. On the plus side while I wait it’s entertaining to watch the employees scurry around trying to figure out their processes. More than once I’ve checked my bags to find something missing — then everyone starts yelling back and forth trying to locate the missing item.
Bottom line — If I’m in a hurry, I eat elsewhere.

I saw there was a Peets inside so my daughter, granddaughter and I went in to get coffee. I ordered a hot salted caramel, my daughter and granddaughter ordered iced coffee. My daughter asked a few questions about what the drinks were and the girl could not answer her questions, just kept saying «I’m not sure»… fail #1. So after 15 minutes our drinks were ready (no one else in line).fail #2. She gave us our drinks and mine was Luke warm. I asked her if she could heat it up. She said «I can put hot water in it…» What ??? Fail#3. Then she said oh wait that’s not yours, I’m not sure why its here… Fail#4. She gave me the right drink, so I opened it, stirred it up and began walking outside. My granddaughter and daughter said their drink didn’t taste right. I took a sip of mine and it had tons of salt in coffee. I instantly spit it out on the ground… Fail#5…I was so mad, we all threw our coffee away. My granddaughter said «see I told you to go to Starbucks.» I gave 2 stars because the fireplace was lit. Don’t go here for coffee

The food is great. That’s all you need to say :) it is way better than panera or anything else. Came during rush hour and wasnt disappointed!

Loved the soup I had and the breakfast sandwich standard bread is decent. Food is relatively dependable as it is a bakery/​café style place. Not too amazing but not bad. Double chocolate cookies are great though. I do like to explore out to Freshly Baked though if I have time as their bread is fresh and warm when served.

The food is always good.
The cookies are fabulous.
Always order ahead for pick up. The wait at lunch time or if anything is not perfect is excessive. It would really help if it took less than 20 minutes to get a salad at lunch.

I used to come to specialty’s everyday for cookies, bundt cakes and other baked goods. But then they drastically reduced the size of the baked goods. They are so small now, they are bite-​sized. Who would pay $ 2.69 for a bite sized bundt cake???
You lost a customer specialty’s. I’m taking my business to le boulanger.

I was a fan of Specialty’s, but my last visit to Specialty’s was atrocious. I went at an off-​peak time in the late afternoon and the place was empty. Yay! That means fast service of my favorite menu items, right? Wrong.
The Chinese chicken salad was oily and nasty, the semi-​sweet chocolate chip cookies were overcooked and weird, and it took them 20 minutes in an empty store to give me a cold salad. Really?

I like going here for my baked goods. Salads and sandwiches are good but pricey. Loving the new caramel pecan pie however, when I finally got to eat it, the topping stuck to the bag. It was still tasty and satisfied my craving. They just need to either place in a box or find a different bag to place it in.
Service varies day by day. Mostly good but have been there where they are not personable as well.

This place is falling apart and have let go of such potential
I really hope that this restaurant gets back on its feet and actually consider the employees and actually create relationship with them, I’m only giving 1 star because I know the great potential this store has had in the past.

I use to frequent specialtys since I work close by, however, the last couple of times I placed an order, it was not satisfying. They have a pick up section where you can place your order online and you get a text when your food is ready. You pick up from the shelves they have designated for this. They have letters on each shelf so you know where your food will be. But the last 2 times, why is my food placed on the wrong shelf? I know it sounds like I’m complaining about something trivial, but why label your shelves if your employees will not properly put your food by last name? Am I suppose to look at every bag? Also the service is a bit better as the employees do say Hi and acknowledge you. Probably due to the fact that Starbucks is in the same plaza and competing for business.
Food here is good, I usually get breakfast sandwiches or baked goods. Just make the pick up not so annoying.

Holy jackpot. This place is AMAZING!!! Perfect for even vegetarians and vegans. They have a Peet’s right in side too.
TIP: Oder online. You just walk in, there’s a bookcase, you find your bag and leave. Done and done. Avoid lines.
BEST PART: The people who work here must take a shot of espresso or a happy pill. They are just so friendly and sweet.
FAVE THING: the egg sandwich for breakfast. Simple, filling, healthy.

Specialty’s is a great place to grab sandwich/​cookie/​soup/​coffee (peets). Everything is fresh.
But hey this particular Specialty’s always charge me extra for soup dressing like cilantro, parsley with out even asking my preference. I have been fooled thrice. Beware to shout your preferences when you order in the front desk.
Giving 1 star just because of their terrible service.

I normally don’t like to bash an establishment but two bad experiences in a row cannot be ignored. I was here out of town for a conference. First time I went, it was nuts. Typical lunch rush hour wait for food I can expect but rude workers… not acceptable. I saw one worker in such bad shape, with grease stains all over her clothes and she was eating large pieces if pizza on the bench to wait for food! I was accidentally in the way of a walkway and the lady kept shouting hello, hello, hello like I was a little kid. A simple excuse me would have been better.
Then I decided to get breakfast a shot the next day. This time it was empty with just a few customers. I ordered on the ipad and paid. Then I proceed to the Peets counter and ordered a drink, I order and the gal says I have to pay at the counter. I go to the counter and tell him the order and tell him I was told to pay here. He tells me I could have paid at the ipads. I apologize and tell him I ordered the food on there but didn’t know about the coffee ordering. He says well I can teach you how to use it. Huh?! I just made a mistake on ordering the drink, not that I was incompetent on how to order on the pad! He once again tried to make me pay on the pad but then realized it was dumb because I was already standing in front of him. Granted no on is in line or at the pads! Just let me pay at the counter, I said sorry about the mix up! Worst customer service ever. They make you feel dumb and not important if you’re new. Management please evaluate your employees. Unacceptable for a business establishment.

So many choices! From soups, salads, cookies, and of course sandwiches. They have a ton of creative sandwiches to choose from. My boss got a pastrami sandwich and they were super generous with the meat.
The salads are HUGE. A small is like a large in other places. I had the Thai salad which was pretty good. The peanut sauce was good but nothing out of the ordinary. The only complaint I have for the salad is that they serve it on a plate that is jus big enough to fit everything, making it messy to mix the dressing. That wasn’t a problem because I asked for a to-​go box which made it a lot easier to mix.
The cookies were also huge and freshly baked. A good bang for your buck.
I liked how you can order through the touch screen or by a cashier. Even though the place was packed, it quickened the line a lot.
There is a reason why my old company caters Specialtys every quarter.

This location never disappoints me. I order online walk across the street and my order is ready. They’re pretty quick and the sandwiches are on point. There’s plenty of seating and even a peet’s coffee inside. They are more pricier than subway but the quality is def there.

I thoroughly enjoy this place. I’ve been to a few of their locations and they never seem to disappoint. I had the turkey pesto sandwich, along with a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. Both were good. One can easily avoid the line by ordering on the iPads they have in store or online, ahead of time.
This place is definitely a good lunch spot. Must order a cookie though. Must! They are amazing.

Specialty’s is a great place for a quick and light lunch. The ordering process is quick and easy. Either order from your computer prior to arrival and pick up by the door, order via iPad and grab a pager, or stand in line and order the traditional way.
Orders usually come up in ~5 minutes.
The hot cheesy steak is my favorite as it’s made using freshly bake ciabatta bread and tender cuts of roast beef. The vegetables inside the sandwich are decent too. Portions are small… maybe get 1.5 sandwiches for lunch?
Their cookies are too sweet and their soups are too salty… Peet’s at this location isn’t very good either.
Prices have gone up in the last few years.
~$ 7.99 for a Hot Cheesy Steak sandwich…
They accept credit cards and have a loyalty program.

Spinach, goat cheese, berry salad and their turkey pot pie soup! It was really good! Part of it may be because I was really hungry. Yumm!

This place is a quick jaunt from the convention center and has a dedicated pickup shelf area, making it the perfect stop for lunches when you can’t really get away from conferences. Be prepared for a 50% chance your bakery treat has been swapped out for something else because it’s sold out.

I love the location although I’m still confused about parking downtown.
The moment I walked in to Specialty’s I immediately fell in love with the décor and ambiance. There were many people who looked like they were there to grab a bit and study, as well as many who seemed to be stopping by for a quick bite during their lunch break. It’s a nice mix of casual and upscale in my opinion.
I think it’s wonderful how modern the ordering process has become since you can now order through a touch screen system. It allows you to first know exactly what the sandwich consists of and then you’re able to customize it to your liking. I got the Hot Pastrami and I did not regret it! The sandwich came out hot and delicious. The sandwich itself was a lot bigger than I expected so I thought it was definitely worth the price I paid. I almost didn’t finish it but it was too good not to!
I can’t wait to come back and try all the other delicious things on their menu.
Great huge plus for having a little coffee place IN the restaurant!