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Thursday, November 29, 2007
“Don’t confuse Red Sky with a coffeehouse”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When it comes to chain stores, Gwinnett seems to possess at least one or two of everything imaginable.
It’s nice to find an independent business among the sameness, and on Wednesday the Badie Tour stopped by a popular Buford establishment to see what was brewing, who might drop in.
The Red Sky Cafe & Coffeehouse sits off Buford Highway, across from the post office. The aroma of coffee greets you as soon as you step inside. While that’s warm and welcoming, don’t be fooled. The Red Sky is more restaurant than coffeehouse, and its owners are revving up to focus on catering, too.
Hot drinks may be a perfect warm-me-up, but declaring them your primary menu attraction can prove to be a tough way to make a living. You have to sell a heap of them to turn a profit. In Gwinnett, we’ve seen several coffeehouses come and go, regardless of popularity or java quality.
Just this month, Main Street Coffee Shop on the Duluth town square shuttered its doors, shy of a one-year anniversary. And Bill Luebben, the original owner of the Northern Star Coffee House, located at 45 S. Peachtree St. in downtown Norcross, has had to bring in a part-owner, Keith Shewbert, a Norcross councilman.
This new team may want to consider practicing what Red Sky owners Pam and Buddy Chandler do - be more than a barista, branch out, offer an intriguing menu with staples and occasional new items. Constantly tweak the menu, serve what sells, discontinue what doesn’t.
The eatery’s specials, be they daily or seasonal offerings, are test entrees that might one day get a permanent spot on the menu.
“I don’t tell people I own a coffeehouse, said Pam Chandler, a Buford native who prefers Coke over coffee. “I tell them I own a restaurant that serves coffee. I couldn’t survive just being a coffeehouse. That was obvious.”
So the Red Sky draws more than caffeine connoisseurs and aroma addicts. It’s the gathering spot for all - north Gwinnett educators, church groups, businessmen, construction workers, hipsters and journalists.
AJC Gwinnett News reporter Rebecca McCarthy, who writes about Buford, logs on to her laptop there at least once a week. The Badie Tour pulled up for a few hours Wednesday to see who might pull up a seat.
Earlier this week, I wrote a column saying that the tour would return to its original purpose - a vehicle to meet people who call Gwinnett home. Readers were invited to drop by the Red Sky to say hello.
A few took me up on it. People talked about the usual issues - traffic, sprawl and the housing slump.
Stephanie Kratofil, a married mom of two school-age girls, talked about education. She’s a substitute teacher at Lanier Middle School who had this to say about the majority of county educators she’s come across:
“They are really dedicated,” she told me, “and really underappreciated.”
So how about showing teachers some gratitude?
Buy them a cup of coffee.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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