The Euro Cafe (wedged between Dunkin Donuts and City Steam Brewery) closed in January. My first reaction was basically surprise that they had been open as long as they were. Their food was excellent, but their pricing a bit steep and their service was terrible. I’m going to qualify all of that. They did reach out to the college by offering discounts to students and faculty/staff, but that was not enough to make it affordable to many of the students. The poison of choice for CCC students is Dunkin Donuts, and you’ve gotta be real convincing to break them of that addiction.

If the owners were in, the service was great. They would make sure that the customers were happy, and they wouldn’t treat you weird for asking for that discount. But on several other occasions, when other staff were on shift, I left feeling very dissatisfied. And having worked shitty retail/service jobs, I am a very patient person about service. I would have to ask several times about the status of a sandwich being put through the panini machine. Some other staff never gave the discount. Some of the staff didn’t know jack about beverage making. If I asked for a certain beverage made decaf, they did not understand that it could easily be done. Also, there were times when the staff were more consumed with their own drama than with helping customers. I hadn’t been in the place for months because the service had been routinely annoying. While I feel guilty writing about my bad experiences, I should probably say that I don’t expect table service, glasses of water, or anything fancy–just my order served in a timely fashion (especially when I am the only customer in the place at the time). If I want to be in a loud environment where the service sucks, I’ll go to McDonald’s.

They are supposed to reopen as Bistro 942. I’m not sure if this means remodeling, or just the announced new breakfast and lunch menus. I’m hoping that this also means firing the staff who don’t deserve to hold onto their jobs, and keeping the few who did actually provide the service one expects in a restaurant.

*Note: I found some info on this in which the owners claimed the change was reflecting customer comments. Good! But there was a remark about how Hartford does not have a good breakfast place. Not so! Jo-Jo’s, Mo’s, and Ashley’s are a few that come to mind. But hey, more breakfast eateries in downtown is something I won’t complain about. Unless they don’t have chocolate chip pancakes on their menu.