Beans & Brews Coffee House

There is no seating. Beans & Brews at the SLC airport-area location is a counter inside a gas station on Terminal Drive, with display screens above the espresso machine showing live flight times in case you needed a reminder of why you came in. People grab a drink before the rental car return, hit the restroom, glance at the boards, and leave. The room is functionally a convenience store with a coffee bar wedged in. Paige, Destiney, Leora, and Kaitlyn all get named by regulars, which is the unusual part for a gas-station coffee counter. The service is the reason the place gets repeat visits, not the room. Order the iced chai or the espresso float and drink it in the car. The protein iced coffee gets ordered by people trying to make a long flight feel productive. Touch and Go beans are on the shelf if you want to take some home, and the name fits the operation. There are restrooms. There is no place to sit and meet someone for coffee. There is no place to settle in with a laptop. One customer flatly notes the no-seating problem, which is the warning to anyone considering this as a cafe rather than a fast in-and-out. The flight-time displays are the second feature people mention after the baristas, since they save the small screen-glance that travelers make a dozen times before boarding. As a piece of airport infrastructure with friendly named baristas and a clear purpose, this works the way a gas-station espresso bar should work. As a cafe experience, it is not one, and the operation is honest about that. Pick up the iced chai, glance at the boards, head back to the car.