by Crave Staff
Coffee Dreamers of Texas, a relatively new coffee shop located on the west side of Fort Worth at 750 Alta Mere Dr. just north of Ridgmar Mall, which opened its doors in November 2011, brewed not only coffee, but also a lot of controversy by having their baristas wear a “Daisy Duke” type of uniform which exposed the employees midriffs.
Coffee Dreamers owners, husband and wife team Kim and John Holland, say they wanted a Texas themed outfit for the baristas to wear, but it appears some of the female patrons don’t care for the uniform. John said “We never intended to offend anyone with the uniform”.
He also stated “This has gotten way out of hand. Many people have called on the phone asking if we were the coffee shop with the bikini baristas, baristas in lingerie, g-strings and a host of other types of outfits, and I keep telling them they have been totally misinformed about our baristas attire”. Holland says he and his wife had always intended for the focus to be on the private blend coffee they serve and the unique comfortable and relaxed atmosphere offered in their shop, not the baristas outfits.
John feels because he described the outfit on their website as a “Daisy Duke” type uniform, the focus shifted. He also states while many women who come to the shop regularly are not offended at all by the outfits and actually think they are cute, there are a few who have spoken up either in person or through emails, and in voicing their opinions have stated that although the coffee is a great alternative to the national chains in both flavor and price, they won’t be back unless the girls cover up their stomachs.
John said, “Since we opened our doors, we’ve been monitoring the feedback, and since the last thing my wife and I wanted to do was to offend anyone, we decided to tone down the outfit by having the baristas wear a shirt under the pearl-snap top which will cover the midriff, but will still keep the uniform in line with our Texas theme, and instead of calling it a Daisy Duke type outfit, I’ve learned my lesson and now refer to it as a country type uniform”.
Just curious, if they want to “focus on their own in-house blend” why the need for the suggestive outfits. Also, this makes me think their hiring process is geared toward the “you better be pretty type.” I love the non-Starbucks option, but I’m glad over here in Dallas, we have White Rock Coffee where the employees dress like Texans in normal jeans, shirts, and shoes.
I agree with the above. I bet their “outfit theme” changes the requirements for what it takes to get hired as a barista there. I’d rather they not pick employees based on the fitness of a mid-riff, but the quality of customer service or barista abilities.
But I also don’t care that much. Hooters, Burger Girl, Twin Peaks, etc. have all based their business on part based on the notion that you can trick guys into spending their money at an establishment if you flash some flesh. I can understand why women might be bothered, but I won’t get into a stink over it. Personally, I’m not a fan just because it tends to push the clientele towards a group of sad pervy men who awkwardly and blatantly oggle young ladies and act pathetic as they try to chat up and flirt with the girls. It’s just kind of sad and gross to watch and be around.
But what really bugs me is the writing of this post itself. At it’s worse, this post reads like it was written by the coffee shop’s PR firm. At it’s best it reads like Crave DFW simply sent a stenographer out to copy down one side’s version of the story. Put some thought into the writing! Don’t just copy down and print what one side says.
interesting. the coffee looks great, but i would be put off by the “uniforms” too.
The couple that own this place are great! Negative comments from our
“dear” Fort Worth Star Telegram have caused this business problems.
If you haven’t been in and checked them out, please at least give them
a chance! The baristas actually helped choose their uniforms!
Go check the place out and send in some cool observations.