This place could be great, and I've always wanted to like it more than I actually do. Occasionally, I have stopped into Mill's End for breakfast, specifically because they have crepes on their menu; in fact, their breakfast menu is actually fairly extensive for a small cafe. For reasons explained below, lately I've found myself just walking past Mill's End, no longer considering giving it my business. The general issues that I have with this place involve just a couple of basic things; if the owners made the effort to correct these, I believe Mill's End could be a great cafe.
I have always thought there are three factors that can make a cafe stand out from its competitors. It is with all three of these that Mill's End falls short:
1)Ambience. This means that the environment must be suitable both for studying/reading, as well as relaxation. So, the music playing needs to be something that is non-intrusive and that the customers can generally ignore; sometimes Mill's End has this covered, but other times not at all. Onto the seating. It seems that this cafe was decorated back in 1995, in an attempt to capture the coziness of the cafe on the TV show "Friends;" unfortunately, they didn't come close, but there is usually plenty of seating open. By the way, what is up with pseudo-sexual ice photography on the walls?
2)Price. This is actually my number one problem with Mill's End. The coffee is reasonably priced, but the food is too expensive. Anytime I tell someone that I ate there, it's always the same response, "yeah, their food is good, but it's really pricey." Considering that this place is literally ten feet from a major light rail stop, I imagine that their business has gone up, but those prices sure haven't dropped.
3.Customer service. The staff has always been just lukewarm. Look, I don't expect the staff in cafes and restaurants to be smiling like idiots all of the time, I only want to feel welcomed with a bit of hospitality; this has just always been kind of lacking at Mill's End.
Honestly, I think this place has a lot of potential, but it seems to be awash in complacency.