I visited Hideout for the first time this past Fri...

I visited Hideout for the first time this past Friday, and unfortunately, this visit will be my last. I walked up to the counter, where a barista was engaged in a conversation with another customer. I waited for that customer to leave, or at the very least, for the barista to acknowledge the fact that I was in line. The customer moved off to the side, and instead of acknowledging me, the barista continued her conversation with the customer. She glanced in my direction a couple of times, but never said anything to me. There was no greeting, welcome, or acknowledgment of the fact that she was keeping me waiting. She just continued to talk to the previous customer. I hate to reduce it to couples' therapy terms, but I felt disrespected, and that my Hideout wasn't interested in my patronage. Even though I am a loyal customer of Starbucks, I enjoy supporting local coffeehouses, and Hideout definitely had my interest. I was on my way to the Starbucks across the street when I noticed it. I doubled back to try it out, so again, her inability to deliver good service is particularly insulting. I left Hideout and made a beeline for Starbucks, where I am guaranteed good, friendly service nearly every time I visit. As far as I'm concerned, Starbucks may be a large, faceless corporation that charges a million dollars for a cup of coffee, but at least its baristas treat their customers well. Hideout failed at that spectacularly, and as this was my first visit, I'm not likely to return, nor recommend it to my friends, colleagues, blog visitors, or social media network.