I walked into Coffee X Change instantly smelling the coffee and food in the air. I surveyed a wall of sweet syrups and various t-shirts hung up on the wall. I look right in front of me seeing a case with a couple different pastries like muffins, Danishes, and bear claws which all looked very delicious. and get instantly greeted by the employees behind the counters. Even though I work here they immediately greet people as they walk through that door to start off their experience. When you walk in a bit more you actually see 2 doors that lead outside to a beautiful patio.
Their menu is full of drinks all over the front and full of food items all over the back. They have quite a few delicious sounding drinks from all types of flavored teas like a disco lemonade, to multiple types of espresso drinks like the cinnamon oat crunch which I always highly recommend because it is extremely good, to quite a few unique blended drinks named after candy and sweets like the chocolate covered strawberries xtreme which is one my favorite blended drink here. Not to mention that they have an every day discount of half priced drinks from 5:00 am to 9:00 am. Looking at their food, they also have tons of options for that as well which can range from English muffins and biscuits , to hot sandwiches like a big philly, and finally all types of salads and wraps like a chicken caesar salad wrap which are all super delicious. Some of the food options come with a side which can either be 4 different types of chips which are plain, salt and vinegar, BBQ, jalapeno, or coleslaw.
Tons of choices!
Walking around coffee x change, you see quite a bit of signs and paintings all over the walls like “All of our espresso drinks are made by human beings not machines”. I go farther into the coffee shop looking at all the paintings hanging up everywhere, some with regular landscapes and others with animals that I notice are actually being sold.
Plenty of entertainment!
Not only is Coffee X Change a regular cafe but they also have tons of entertainment here! Every Friday, Saturday, Sunday they have music from 6-9 pm! Local bands come in and play and chat with the customers that come in! Every Sunday we have a gospel singer come in and sing for the customers that want to sit down and enjoy it. And for people who want to come in and enjoy a quieter area with a more fine dining energy, there is a dining room in the back area of the cafe for people to come in and sit and we’ll take your order right there.
I ended up asking a couple questions to one of the owners named Jonathan who is the son of the business. The coffee shop was opened in 1996 when the first owner Keya had noticed that coffee was starting to be popular in Tucson, and this was way before there was even a Starbucks in town so Keya wanted to start something new. And it was a huge hit! A new coffee shop had shown up and people were loving it! But as time went on, Jonathan had expressed that it got harder as “he expanded and wanted to grow, I was too young to help him, so he didn’t have anyone to help grow the business.” But it still was a successful business and it continues to be successful.
Getting work side by side with them has been a great experience for me. Jonathan makes it fun to work there and they’re both super understanding of any issues that go on and always want to make sure that you’re okay. They make working there a more personalized experience and you definitely feel cared for there either as a customer or an employee
I ended up asking about the menu and where the ideas came from because I’ve always been curious about where the ideas came from, which he then told me that not only did his dad come up with the plenty of the menu items, but so did the son and the employees as well and I’ve had the chance to help come up or taste test some of the things that could potentially go on the menu. I finish the interview and go and grab my drink that was called out.
I had ordered one of their seasonal drinks which was an iced caramel crunch latte with cold foam on the top which tasted absolutely delicious and like a great seasonal fall drink. Everything here sounded, looked, and tastes extremely delicious. This is a wonderful coffee shop that honestly had great customer service, great drinks, great food, and is extremely fun to work at. And i highly recommend coming here so you are able to experience this as well!
Lilah Cox is a UArizona student and part-time employee at Coffee X change.