Tully’s Coffee

We were at Virginia Mason Hospital and I was happy when someone told me there was a Tully’s — NO Starbucks.
Unfortunately this is not one of the better ones. First of all — they were out of napkins. Next the drink (Almond Mocha) was not very good. I actually went up and asked if they had added almond. Normally people say Yes we did but I can add some more if you want. NOPE — she said — in a «snappy» attitude — Yes I did. OK — sorry I asked.
The Almond Croissant was OK — Almonds on the outside but not much paste inside.
It is a cubby hole — not very coffee shop looking and not a relaxing place to enjoy your coffee.

Meh. Tullys in general has alright coffee, smoother in taste vs burnt. This is located inside the hospital I work at (so convenient) but my low rating is unfortunately over the last several years they have gotten slower, hired more people and raised prices without a change non demand. Do I get coffee here. Yes. Everyday? No. We are pretty handy at home and most days ain’t no body got time to wait for four people with a horrible work flow set up to figure out how to make coffee. Sad. Most baristas are nice but a few lack professionalism in appearance and behavior.

This Tully’s is located right off the main lobby of Virginia Mason medical center. The drinks are good, the staff are fairly friendly, and they sell Ellenos yogurt in the cold case. It’s a very convenient location for patients, visitors and staff at VM.
The problems:
–sloooooow service
–overly chatty baristas
–neglectful baristas
This Tully’s should keep in mind that they are catering to a very select group of people; medical staff in a hurry, and patients who are sick. Hospital employees often only have 15 – 30 mins of break time for a caffeine fix, and it often takes 10 mins or more to get your beverage.
There were 5 people working behind the counter this morning, and one customer ahead of me. The customer behind me was rung up first… apparently because she ordered a drink and I didn’t. So I stood there for over 10 mins to get a yogurt. At this point, the customer in front of me had been rung up as well as the person behind me. I moved up to the register and the guy standing there pretty much ignored me and started whistling some random tune like I wasn’t even there. I finally had to ask someone if I could please pay for my yogurt. Next time I may consider just stealing it! I doubt anyone would’ve noticed!
Bottom line: convenience at a cost.

located inside the main hospital at virgina mason. i’m here three times a week, out of convenience. the morning crew is the business. super speedy funny man on the till we’ve lovingly branded the coffee nazi. he keeps his line moving, does not have time for folks on their phone and is not afraid to call you out. he’s scary accurate though, remembered my drink after one visit. that’s amazing considering all of the staff that come here. his cohort is wonderful. an excellent barista. the barista makes all the difference imo. afternoon crew is just meh. friendly but the product is not as good. the line can be twenty plus in the mornings, especially just before eight. get there by noon if you want a better cup of coffee.

I resent that this is the best option I have for coffee while I’m at work. I resent this place for a couple of reasons, the main one being the inconsistency of the beverages I get there. I literally never know on a day to day basis if my drink is going to be boiling hot vs. warm, or if my drink is going to be really overflavored or not at all. I mean really, I order a non-​fat vanilla (or hazelnut) latte, it’s not that hard.
My other complaint is the carelessness — today I ordered an italian soda — I was suprised when I was asked to pull a sprite out of the refrigerator for them to make my soda. I was informed that they always use sprite and that some of the other places use «the real stuff». But I was told it tastes better — but not asked if I was ok with it. I was also not asked if I wanted cream in it, but asked them not to put it in there. At any rate the thing tasted sooo sweet I thought I was going to vomit (and I like sweet stuff). I brought it back and instead of any appology or even really a glance I was made another one with half the amount of syrup (this time closer to ¼ of a cup instead of ½) and the thing is still sickeningly sweet. Even worse this monstrosity cost me $ 4.51 for a freakin’ sprite with syrup.
My last issue with this place is the tip jar. Most hospitals I have worked at do not allow the coffee vendors to receive tips. I agree with this policy — you just don’t need to add any additional stress to patient’s family members — wondering if they were being rude because they didn’t tip. At Tully’s the tip jar is a BIG pitcher, it’s written all over and prominently displayed. Seriously??? It’s tacky, I can understand you want tips, but maybe let’s aim for something a little more subtle.
I think I may be boycotting this particular Tully’s. Next time I’ll head to the cafeteria and figure it out from there.

I, work at VMMC and having a Tully’s here is gr8t! What a gr8t way to wake-​up.

OK,
This may not be a «destination spot» for most as it is inside Virginia Mason Hospital, but…
For me it works out great! This is a tiny Tully’s and is really just a walk up bar, but they have everything (for the most part) that the big guys have, just less seating.
The crew here is great too. Always friendly and cheerful and extremely good at their job. The line at this Tully’s can reach 15 – 20 people at times (accounting for the fact that some people order coffee for their entire department), but I have never waited more than like 5 minutes for my cup ‘o’ joe.
If you are up this way… well you or someone you know is hurt or sick… so sorry about that. But if you need a coffee fix swing by this Tullys for a smile and a great cup of coffee!
See you tomorrow Tully’s!