The Java Factory

This coffee shop just barely got its three star rating.
I always love starting with the positive, so I will stay with tradition. The Java Factory is conveniently located in the newish Dartmouth Crossing area. If you are not from Nova Scotia and are visiting for the first time, let me explain. Years ago Halifax and Dartmouth were two different cities that were less than a ten minute walk from each other. So it made sense when they were combined into one city. However Dartmouth is still called Dartmouth and not Halifax. Okay, maybe its not as easy to explain. But Dartmouth had a fair amount of malls and shopping center’s, but nothing really attractive. Then came Dartmouth Crossing. I believe this area is only five or so years old.
Now, I have spent many years in California and I really miss it. Especially the cute stores that are side-​by-​side in a nice shopping district where there is no garbage, everything very clean, no traffic around the stores, just parking. Think Long Beach if you are from California. Both Halifax and Dartmouth didn’t have this fun, relaxing environment I speak of. Not until Dartmouth Crossing was invented. And now it exists, I am excited, but there is still growth to be had before it is perfect.
If you are looking for a coffee shop in Dartmouth Crossing, the only one I have found is the Java Factory. It is in the center of the Dartmouth Crossing universe and it truly is a nice looking, stylish coffee shop. There is an outdoor patio in the summer time so you can «people watch,» and there is some limited seating inside the coffee shop. What I like about the inside is, there are windows everywhere so you can still people watch.
The prices for the Java Factory are almost exactly the same as they are for Starbucks. I shouldn’t be surprised since they are the only coffee shop in the area and they are surrounded by stores such as Backyard & Veranda. So they can afford to have Starbucks pricing. One thing they do have that Starbucks doesn’t however, is free wireless Internet. If you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know I give an entire star for free wireless Internet because its so important in my world and a lot of other peoples.
So why only three stars? Well the pricing isn’t really that fair. Their food and coffee are decent but not the best I’ve ever had. So why am I paying fifty cents or a dollar more than I did for the best coffee I ever had? Second, the staff have a lot of growing to do. I’m not just talking about how young they are or appear to be, but the service is just not good. Both of these kids looked like they loved playing the teenage-​angst card a little too well. There were no smiles or friendly sounding voices. I was depressed just being served by them. So that definitely deserves a star or a star and a half being taken from the review.
The Java Factory is a coffee shop I won’t avoid but when I do go, I will definitely ignore the depressed looking staff. Besides them though, the environment is beautiful and its in a key area for a coffee shop to be in at Dartmouth Crossing. Check it out, and try to tell a joke to help the staff’s mood.