Second Cup

This is a great place to sit down if you like to study or work in a café – free Wi-​Fi, lots of available power outlets for your chargers, and a generally quiet atmosphere given how quick coffee orders are in and out. I come here a lot to do some work or writing, and my favourite corner table is pretty much always available – there’s rarely enough traffic here where people want to stay and sit down that you’d really ever find yourself out of a seat, I’d imagine.
The drinks and snacks are great for a quick sit-​down or a steady laptop-​session, and though it might not have a large variety compared to other Second Cups and the hours from Fri.-Sun. are short, it’s quaint and pleasant enough for those needing to spend some time out of the house to concentrate alone. I used to work at the nearby Sobeys, so meeting up here after my shift with a co-​worker for a chat always hit the spot too.

Oh wow this place has slipped.
The owners changed the hours drastically. Who closes @ 6 pm on a Friday??? Or a Saturday?!
The staff turnover has been pretty grand in the last year. Except for the lady who works weekday days, Evelyn I couldn’t really name another person. Evelyn is on Matentity leave so that sucks.
The owners don’t order food items or merchandise that other Second Cups do. They told me the gluten-​free brownies were discontinued according to head office they weren’t.
I love buying the Me to We African necklaces but they NEVER carry them.
It is just slowly going down hill, kinda glad I moved away when I did. It was no longer a highlight of my day or worth the kms on my SUV.

Always quick and great service. Never overly busy and you can always find a place to sit and enjoy a beverage.

I quite like this place the staff are awesome!

This place has very poor service. They don’t treat you like a café and the staff was quite «slow».

The attitude of staff was friendly and they’ve provided a speedy service. I have been one of their customer for a long time, I really like their food and service. The evironment is always clean and they provide the wireless internet that’s available. I really enjoy to go there sometimes with my monther and we have a cup of coffee and share one maple walnut muffin together. Oh my goodness, I just love it!!!

I find it kind of funny and yet unfortunate that Second Cup is the largest retailer for specialty coffee in Canada where many often overlook it. Having lived in Calgary my entire life, I have watched the city expand as well as people’s need for coffee. Needlessly to say, there are people i know who are strictly Starbucks goers… and for some reason I can’t quite understand why.
For a fact, I’m not an avid coffee drinker however I have gone to Starbucks enough times to have finally have memorized what sizes the tall, grande, and venti are. I have heard raving reviews about Starbucks — and despite of it, I failed to be impressed by the quality of their coffee and service.
Maybe I’m just really biased towards Starbucks — however i have always preferred Second Cup as (a) its Canadian, (b) the coffee just seems to taste better, © the music is better.
After Second Cup finally made it’s way to Calgary, it has needlessly become my favourite place to go for coffee or tea. Being a student, I often have to get away from my house to study where i visit this particular location the most. Complete with spacious seating and large open windows, it makes this location warm and very welcome. Because it’s located in the community of Royal Oak, it’s not a place to be overrun by customers. With a steady trickle of customers, you are always guaranteed a spot to sit at. There will be days such as the weekends where it can get fairly busy — however both café-​goers and staff members will always help give extra seating in need. Not being overly noisy except for the occasional blender, this is a great place to study or do your work at. With pluggins and easy access to wifi, you don’t have to stress about paying for internet here.
The menu offers a variety of drinks from hot espresso beverages, tea/​tea lattes, as well as blended drinks — it is suitable for all tea and coffee drinkers, as well as for kids. Staff can also custom mix and blend drinks to your preference.
If you’re visiting, do keep in mind that it’s a Second Cup and not a Starbucks. This means that they don’t have the same items such as Carmel Macchiatos or Strawberry n Cremes… however they offer SIMILAR drinks. So if you’re craving for something from another coffee shop, do keep an open mind that it may taste a bit different.

This is the closest I have to a neighborhood café, and I could do worse. It’s actually quite a nice location, spacious yet cozy, with a number of indoor/​outdoor seating options. The coffee is what you expect from a Second Cup, and they’re always well stocked with pastries and sandwiches (the low-​fat bran muffin and the banana breakfast cookie are personal favorites).
Much as I like this Second Cup, though, there are a couple of things I would change if I could: first, the wifi is a little annoying. You have to jump through hoops just to connect to it, and then it disconnects you anytime you’ve been idle for 15 minutes. And even when you do manage to get and stay connected, Internet response is variable at best.
Second, I like to use Equal as a sweetener, and this location only stocks Splenda. A fairly minor complaint, perhaps, but it’s a case where a business is choosing not to cater to a common consumer preference, even though it wouldn’t cost them anything to do so.