There’s a new café in town, though not one that you can readily track down. Why? Because it’s on wheels, which gives this mobile café the ability to seek out those who thirst for coffees, teas, gourmet hot chocolate espresso drinks and iced mochaccinos. It’s called Rolling Joe Café*, and its owner Rich Spears has struck up an agreement with Olmsted Parks to deliver a variety of hot and cold drinks to a clientele that might not expect to encounter a café in a non-commercial district. That’s kinda the beauty of the operation – when I first encountered the coffee camper I noticed a bunch of prospective customers who were waiting in the wings, not sure what to think of the contraption. Eventually curiosity gets the best of everyone, and even the die-hard joggers perked up as they passed by.
Rich has officially embarked on his first week of business after making a total career change. The camper is fully equipped to deliver just about everything a brick and mortar café can. One flip of the switch turns on the generator, which provides enough power to brew coffee. Most everything else is run off the battery. Rich told me that he’s getting his feet wet with the park setting before possibly embarking city-wide. He’s also going to see if there is an interest in providing the service year ’round.
If you’re not in the mood for a caffeinated beverage, then you might be interested in a regionally made Johnnie Ryan soda or a Crystal Beach loganberry… there’s also juice or water. At this point Rich has not set out any café tables, but he does have one table that provides customers with all if the café fixin’s. Before long Rich plans on offering light snacks and regionally sourced baked goods and desserts to go along with his “46 different hot coffee, tea, espresso and chocolate drinks, and 44 different cold drinks.”
If you’re interested in following the travels of Rolling Joe, you can check out the Facebook site for the latest destinations. You might even ‘like’ them when you pay a visit. Or you can check out the Let’s Joe Buffalo website for more info.
*Rich was planning on naming the operation Roaming Buffalo Café, but as luck would have it another mobile food truck launched just before he opened… with almost the same name!