Just yesterday while checking out the web site for Pane Bianco (that neat sandwich shop next to Lux) I noticed that Pane Bianco is taking a “summer break” beginning August 24th and ending on September 15th.
My first thought is it’s an interesting idea. Just schedule a break every year. Everybody needs a break from their work to relax. It could also be a business move: Take 1 week to rethink business goals, plan any menu changes, and pump up morale by having team meetings away from the ordinary.
Well, that’s enough philosophizing for today.
Then last night I received an email from Charlie at Elixer Coffee Solutions (they have a cool web site at www.elixercoffee.com) saying “the Manager of the Fry’s store that elixer is set-up at gave us a 24 hour notice.”
This means that Charlie and Renee will be looking for a new home. If you have any suggestions just let them know (right now they are based in Oro Valley, AZ). They’ve decided at the same time they are looking to take a short break, travel a bit, and reevaluate business goals. We wish them a great summer and hope they find a new home soon.
RJD writes:
Good morning, Chris,
Some bad news this morning at my daily coffee stop, It’s A Grind, at Carefree Highway and I-17. Pat, the owner, notified me that today would be their last day. The economy and high cost of the build out have forced them into this decision. It’s really too bad, despite being a franchise, this place really had a independent feel to it.
-Richard
Thanks for letting us know Richard.
It’s A Grind
3170 W. Carefree Hwy
Phoenix AZ, 85086
Phone: (623) 580-0063
The folks at ValleyWide Coffee Service are the newest sponsor on Arizona Coffee. ValleyWide is a Phoenix area company that services espresso and coffee machines. They offer 24 hour service. Thank you to ValleyWide Coffee for supporting Arizona Coffee!
ValleyWide Coffee Service
Phone: (602) 369-8453
Miss Manners answers a question from a barista who feels ignored by her customers.
The question is definitely interesting: I’d like to wish most people have generally good manners. What’s your take? Are you polite when you order coffee?
I stopped in at SOLO Cafe last week to have coffee with a friend.
My latte was fantastic.
The interior of SOLO is so relaxing.
While we were there the barista made us a sample of their green tea smoothie. Let’s just say the next time I visit this is what I’m getting — it was that good.
SOLO Cafe
107 E. Baseline Road
A-4
Tempe AZ 85283
Phone: (480) 838-SOLO (7656)
An interesting, and brief read in Architect magazine showing how 5 famous architects would redesign Starbucks.
A reader named Josh wrote to let us know about a relatively new coffee shop called La Olla Coffee Company. Josh writes: “There is one in Spectrum Mall and one in Desert Sky Mall. I have only been once so far, but they were friendly and the coffee was very good. I hope they can get listed on your page. They won a 2007 “Best of Phoenix” for their La Olla coffee drink.”
The Phoenix New Times describes it this way:
The place bills itself as a “Euro Latino Espresso Café,” and it was funny to see our lattes and cappuccinos translated into Spanish. We tried the house specialty, La Olla — sweetened espresso smothered in chocolate and accented with cinnamon. Delicious, not quite like any coffee drink we’ve had. And now we can’t wait to go back to Christown.
La Olla Coffee Company
1734 W Montebello Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85015
Phone: (602) 973-5959
This is a repost from the Member Forum.
Hey Arizona Coffee folks,
Just dropping by to let everyone know that we’ve started planning the upcoming year’s regional barista competition calendar, and we’re looking for a host for the 2008-2009 South West Regional Barista Competition.
(more…)
What’s the typical caffeinated-beverage consumption for a Arizona Coffee reader? What do you drink in an average day?
Chow Bella (the food section of Phoenix New Times) has interviewed Bill Sandweg at Copper Star Coffee (Phoenix) about his interactions with people in the coffee business — mostly the customers. It’s a fun, quick read for a Tuesday morning. Go Bill!
Last Thursday I made a trip down to Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe on a whim (actually, it was close to another coffee shop and I had to stop in).
My cappuccino. It was quite good.
Best seating area in the place is these leather couches.
Since my last visit, they’ve moved the counter all the way to the back of the shop and I think it works way better. It opened up more space for seating, and opened up the whole place.
Some bags of coffee for sale.
Look who I ran into! Ron Cortez from Cafe Cortez was there when I arrived and we chatted about coffee for an hour with Nate, a guy who was also there enjoying the coffee (he was a regular and I told him he should check out Arizona Coffee, I hope he does).
Cartel Coffee Lab
225 W. University Dr.
Suite #101
Tempe AZ 85281
Phone: (480) 225-3899
Crave Espresso Bar in Tucson is closing its doors for the last time this weekend. Sunday, July 20th was their last day of business. While there is a chance that the shop may reopen, it sounds like a financial decision. The shop has only been open since March 2007.
Thanks to Chris Babbie “Psyd” for reporting this in the Member Forum.
Josh Morris from Next Coffee Company emailed me to let me know they had been featured on CBS 5 last night. I visited Next Coffee in April and took some photos.
Click here to watch the video: http://www.kpho.com/video/16905246/
Kevin Parker wrote:
ValleyWide Coffee Service is a local full service espresso and coffee machine repair company. We do on-site repairs, installs,and refurbishing. We are fairly small but very experienced and committed to customer service.
ValleyWide Coffee Service
Kevin Parker
Phone: (602) 321-3412
Yelp.com is fast becoming an excellent resource for finding first hand reviews about restaurants, coffee shops, and all kinds of businesses. Worth a look the next time you need a recommendation.
