Red Rock Coffee

A plug for my favorite coffee shop in the area, Red Rock Coffee, at 201 Castro Street in Mountain View. I'm sitting on the second floor right now, and it's got a great view of downtown, plenty of seating, lots of outlets, and a quiet atmosphere. Oh yeah, and good coffee, too. Almost makes reading casebooks bearable.

In addition to being a great place to get coffee and study, Red Rock is also a great place for the community. I'll let them tell it their way:

"Red Rock was born when a group of people came together and wanted to create a place of genuine community. Not just a great place to meet and hang out, but a place that truly gave back and supported the community that supports it. That’s why the Red Rock functions as a not-for-profit business. We take all profits not used to support the ongoing business of the cafe and donate them to other non-profit and charity groups.

So, you can actually feel good about that triple vanilla latte with a side of carrot cake.

The point is, the more you support Red Rock. The more you support the community. We’re talking little leagues, food banks, community fairs and festivals, art endowments, homeless shelters, local schools, etc. It’s a little way toward making our small corner of the world a better place. An old idea, yes, but a good one."

(Note: I'm unclear whether they actually have 501(c)(3) status, though I guess I could just ask them, but... then I'd totally reveal myself for the big law dork that I am.)

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One addition: I think it's kind of dumb that they close at 5 p.m. on Sunday. They may know better than I do, but it seems like they're missing out on a decent amount of business. It's 4:30 and there are defintitely still a lot of people here, though maybe by this time people have already bought their drinks and are just sitting here talking and studying (like me) and new people don't really come in around now. But I don't know why more people wouldn't come in to talk, work or study on a Sunday night. Oh also, they close at 10 on week nights, though I wish they'd stay open till midnight, but on that one the "customers are just sitting there" theory may apply. Still, all in all, I do really like this place.