We arrived early to discover that the reservation was recorded as a table for 2. I’m giving this place 5 stars with a bit of a caveat that frankly isn’t reflective of the overall dining experience.Ī friend of ours reserved a table for 7 (4 adults, 3 kids). On top of that, their rosé by the glass from South Africa was a surprising delight.
(The inside of an old church steeple is a bit of a noise chamber!) We scored a great table off to the side, right under the stained glass windows, where it was a bit easier to hear. We had attentive, helpful, smiling service. We didn't have room for dessert, but snuck in some Mousse Tracks (chocolate mousse with walnuts, marshmallows, whipped cream and cookie crumble) anyway. Drenched in beurre blanc, kissed with lemon and a little spice, a hint of the smoke from the cook, and nestled in between the fillets: fried brussel sprouts. The beet-orange salad with little puffs of whipped ricotta was just bright enough to offset the creamy cheese dishes, before. Great spice, creamy cheddar sauce, crunchy cashews, and perfectly charred florets. The cheesy cauliflower was so good we couldn't stop eating it, even after we were very full. Each flavor came through, from the flaky finishing salt to the tiny slices of mint, to the gooey pine nut butter swirled with fig jam and the toasty edges of the brioche.
The burrata appetizer was delicious and so complex. competition is the most difficult and it’s very impossible to win twice.” She’ll just rest on her laurels and continue to make strong, flavorful espresso.Wowsa: This is one of those restaurants that lives up to it's (long standing) hype 🙌 championships next year? “I’m done,” she exclaimed. Looking into the future, Allen would love to expand into two more towns, Springdale and Johnson, Arkansas.Ĭan we expect Allen to compete in the U.S. What will it take for Onyx Coffee Lab to reopen its retail sites? Allen replied, “We are planning to reopen when it’s safe, not when the state says it is. We don’t want to put any of our customers at risk.”Īllen said her clientele is very eclectic and encompasses students from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Wal-Mart employees since one café is situated a mile from its headquarters in Bentonville, and plenty of retirees. Its smallest location accommodates 50 customers and 150 at the largest. It also runs a barista training center, where Allen trains many staff of her 600 wholesale accounts to become skilled baristas. Mastering espresso entails three, three-hour in-person classes, and laymen are also taught an abbreviated three-hour course in espresso-making. “It’s helped us not to have to close our business,” Allen said succinctly.īesides its retail shop and ecommerce sales, it sells to Whole Foods and selected restaurants nationwide, and sells coffee beans to 30 countries internationally. Since its roasting business is up, she’s transferred staff into that division. Because of that spike and its steady pick-up and delivery sales, Onyx has kept 60 of its 75 full-time staff employed. Three of the four outlets remain open, with limited walk-up and curbside sales. Hence, ecommerce sales now make up 65% of sales and retail 35%.
Having been named best barista in the U.S., as well as the fact that more people are staying home and ordering coffee, ecommerce sales spiked 25%. Allen serves as the head of operations, and Jon oversees creativity and quality control.īefore the pandemic struck, revenue at Onyx Coffee Lab was split down the middle: about 50% ecommerce sales for coffee beans and 50% from the retail locations. It’s helped put Onyx on the map,” she said.Īllen has honed her craft, co-running Onyx Coffee Labs with her husband Jon Allen. Due to the pandemic, it has been postponed until November (she’s not sure if she’ll be participating).īesides her own competitive instincts, Allen was hoping to jump-start her family-run coffee business, and so far, it has done that. “The competition is a huge marketing arm for us. It’s watched by high-end niche coffee professionals and shows us to the exact right audience to demonstrate our quality. As winner, she would have been traveling to Melbourne, Australia in early May to participate in the world Barista championship.
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