Ch-ch-ch-changes….
Okay, the spam emailers are setting up shop in the registered users section, so I guess that means it’s time to post again. 🙂
A lot to cover here, sit back with a cup of our coffee (you have one in your hand right now, right? RIGHT?) and one of our pastries (you have that too, right?) and dig in…
First, Operation: Expansion. As we have been talking about on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, the O:E is progressing slowly but nicely. As it stands right now, the fabric panels for the sides are being manufactured; we are playing with different designs for the roof section. The biggest flaw in plans: the patio heater is now officially too big for the space. Our installer of the heater is working with the company to see what can happen, but otherwise we’ll probably be installing a pellet stove on the patio and calling it good. With any luck, we’ll have the extra space complete (YAY!) by the end of next week.
Next, our bakery. As most know, Robert decided to move on to other endeavors. Carla has come in to the bakery and has–quite frankly–blown everyone away with the pastries and soups she has created. Our pastries are selling out in record time and we simply can’t make enough soup anymore!
We are still working on our winter menu (getting the best WOW! Green Chili is proving to be tougher than anticipated, but we’re darn close) and plan on having that up soon, but we are starting to sample different new menu items. Keep an eye on our White Plate Special plate for what we have up our sleeves!
As for dinners, we have decided to halt our Friday dinner service. While we were seeing quite a few families and couples frequenting our dinners, we didn’t really have the volume to warrant continuing them. It’s a lot of work to convert to a dinner mode here, plus the added cost of one-time menu items, plus the added labor costs. While we weren’t losing money per se, we really weren’t making enough to make it worthwhile. So, we’ll focus on breakfast and lunch instead.
Now, for the bad news. If you’ve been keeping an ear open to all the media outlets recently, you’ve probably heard that the coffee commodities market is going crazy right now. Coffee pricing is at highs not seen since the late ’90s and there’s no real reason for it except for the speculators hedging their bets on the 2012 (!) crop. (Source: people who know a lot more than me about coffee: James Hoffmann and Gimme! Coffee) Yes, as James posts, specialty coffee (as we make here) shouldn’t be affected by all these shenanigans, but we have noticed a slight increase in our costs on the coffee. For those of you hanging on to your Folgers and Maxwell House (why, seriously?) you’ll notice a severe cost increase (40%+) in the next few weeks. Those of you with a bag of our coffee may notice a quarter rise here or there, but that’s it. I’m holding steady on pricing at this point, but I wanted you to be aware that things may change–quickly–depending on what happens over the next few months.
Joy of joys, the food side is doing the exact same thing with flour, corn, and the like. Again, pricing will be day-at-a-time, but do expect a change on our food side in the near future.
Now to end with good news: the sampling for the Holiday Blend 2010 will commence this Wednesday (it’s roasting tonight!), we have new coffees arriving today, and we are working on creating cookie and pastry tins for your holiday gift-giving festivities. All that and a few events will be posted soon!
Thank you for your continued support of our store, and we’ll see you soon!
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