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Hello All!
Since many of you visit our shop to enjoy our delicious coffees, teas and delectable [vegetarian-friendly] breakfast and lunch menu, we wanted to let you know that our guest wi-fi will soon be sorted so you should be able to make yourself comfortable and work and study at your leisure in the near future. We will post an update on our Instagram account on the precise date, but we are on the case! Also, we will be closed on Saturday, June 18, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience, but we strongly encourage our super creative staff to engage in activities outside of work so they will be off at a conference having fun, doing their thing. We'll see you again the following day at 8am sharp! Many thanks for supporting "your" small local business, Two Bell's Cafe staff
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As our guests may know by now, our guest wi-fi is not working. For those interested in the intricacies of why this is. There are currently two signs located outside of the shop indicating that this is the case.  When the shop switched Internet Service Providers (ISP's), the technician informed us that we could have a guest wi-fi account on our network, but he did not specify that this was for internal staff, not our customers. As we discovered, having both on the same router poses a security threat as it opens a back door for hackers to access operations data since it is connected to our point-of-sale (POS) system. Thankfully, no customer data is compromised since that is handled by a third party and is not available on our systems.
Recently, we've had a few incidents where customers must be distracted and miss the signs on the door because I have no other explanation for their behavior. The most recent example transpired this morning where a customer came into the shop asking for the wi-fi password. My well-trained Manager informed the customer that the wi-fi is not currently working. After being pressed for a reason, which is she is not required to provide, the customer caused a scene by polling other customers if they know of other coffee shop that do not provide internet access. Many, by my count, but it is provided in our shop only after a purchase, not before, which this customer had not completed. The customers responded that they used personal hot spots while we work on our guest wi-fi and she replied that she refused to "use up all of her data." My staff said she could speak with the owner and she was told to take one of my business cards. During our conversation, I calmly explained that our having our wi-fi down is a temporary situation that will soon be remedied. I apologized for her experience and asked if there is any way I could make it up to her although I did inform her that I felt that she was shouting and barking at me during the entire conversation while I was trying to hear her out and remedy the situation. She responded, "Is this the type of customer service a tall, black woman receives in your shop?" I was taken aback and told her that I was not aware of her race and as a woman of color myself, I empathized. She pressed me on my ethnicity and I refused to respond as I told her it was "not relevant" to the issue at hand. She told me she would "follow up with some actions I would not like" and hung up on me. Several minutes later. she showed up at the shop again -- this time live-streaming, telling her own narrative about how we discriminate against our customers based on their race -- never once mentioning the conversation we had had not 10 minutes earlier. Our shop prides itself on its excellent customer service and quality products. At no time do we discriminate based on any criteria. We follow all EEOC guidelines on this matter and will always treat members of our community with dignity and respect, which is why we are proud members of the Seminole Chamber of Commerce, and are a woman and minority-owned business.
 On May 1, 2021, Zanzibar acquired a new owner and the shop at 315 N Ronald Reagan Blvd in Longwood, FL became known as Two Bell's Cafe Co. Since we get asked about the name so much, here is the story about the name and the owner. Maribel (the first of the two "Bell's" - the other is her little rescue pittie named Bella, who she had to leave with her family) was living in Chicago, working as a Management Consultant. Her clients were primarily entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses, which as you know, were the hardest hit by the pandemic. Prior to that, she worked for herself and one of the four major consulting firms for over 15 years then she decided she had enough experience to take her own advice and pivot careers for the third time. After shoveling a great deal of snow, and struggling through the extreme Midwest temperatures, she decided this would be the final year she would engage in such endeavors. She called her financial advisor, packed her belongings and decided to live her retirement dream (albeit prematurely), eager to get back to working with customers in a community she enjoys where she can make a difference - even if only a small one. She has a sibling who is a long-time Floridian who helped her navigate this very different way of living. In the meantime, she is eager to begin this new chapter in her life as a restaurateur.   As of May 1, 2021, we have a new owner. The first of the two "Bel's" that comprise our name, moved from Chicago on April 30, 2021 and took over Zanzibar. The first order of business was giving the shop a makeover to better reflect her personality and vision -- providing interesting pieces from her personal art collection and returning the place to "the" community hangout it was once known for.
Ultimately, she hopes to replace her existing art with contributions from members of the community and local universities. This way, they can display and sell their art in a space that serves as an art gallery alternative while they generate discretionary income. If you are interested in displaying / selling your art, please contact the store at (407) 335-4989 or email samples for review at info@twobellscafeco@gmail.com. |
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