Barnie’s Coffee & Tea Co., the Central Florida-based caffieneator, is planning to execute a redo of the cafe concept on Park Avenue. According to Scott Uguccioni, chief sales and marketing officer, it should happen “sometime later this year,” but few other details are available right now. He did say that one of the things they’re finalizing involves menu details, so I’m guessing that food will still be a part of this refresh.
It was almost 11 years ago that Barnie’s launched its CoffeeKitchen concept at the Winter Park location with an ambitious plan to offer food along with its popular line of coffees and teas. They even eventually hired the estimable chef Camilo Velasco as the company’s executive chef, who did in fact produce some delicious food items.
But for some reason, the concept never caught on, and CoffeeKitchen was dropped from the name. (Velasco, of course, moved on to 1921 by Norman Van Aken, then to Ravenous Pig and is now at Disney’s Old Key West Resort.)
So what will be different this time? Can’t wait to find out. But I’m guessing that with so many Foxtails, Lineages, Credos and other upstarts to contend with, a rejuvenation of the 42-year-old company’s brand is in order.
I’ll let you know more when I know more.
(Also, I know more. Shhh.)
Great Harvest Bread Co., the Montana-based “freedom franchisor” that opened in December of 2019 and closed a year later, is set to reopen in the same ground-floor space in Citi Tower but with new owners, or franpreneurs, as the company likes to call them. New owners are Evan DeLaney and Guy Patterson, according to an article by Ross McWaters in What Now Orlando.
Speaking of bread, word is that Olde Hearth Bread Company can be added to the list of local food and beverage entities that will have a presence in the new terminal to open this fall at Orlando International Airport. I hear they’ll offer more than baguettes and boules, sandwiches will also be available for people on the fly.