When I bought the indie coffee passport I expected to stand out in most locations as nothing much about me is....."indie"? I just like coffee, trying out new places and exploring the city. But almost every single location I'd visited until Manic seemed very easy going and relaxing, however Manic was very crowded on a Sunday afternoon and I did not expect to find a seat at all (although we did end up being lucky and got 2 seats as we were placing our order). And everything seemed so rushed that for a first time customer I did not have time to properly go through the menu (even though I would have got a latte either way). And I didn't even see their food selection until just before paying.
Like it's been brought up here, customer service is not their primary focus, but rather whipping out drinks and it's hard to criticize that too much since their drinks are very good! Prices I found were a little cheaper than most other passport stops (but then again with the passport I've not been paying too much attention to prices). My drink was fine, I'm not some coffee expert to go on about the specific taste etc of the drink except that I normally prefer no added sugar, but my latte was just that tiny bit too strong for me to enjoy without a bit of sugar added.
Even with it being a full house, it was not uncomfortably cramped (we sat in the back) and I never really saw a line up that was considerably slow.
So yes, they are crowded but their drinks are good and you won't have to wait too long to get it. Just don't expect too much warm and fuzzy love thrown your way. The lack of wifi is also a minus point for here. Although that would just attract more people to occupy seats for longer! An ideal spot to get a drink on the go I say!