There are tons of coffee shops in PE but only a handful have been around for ten years or more. One that has withstood the test of time was the site of Thursday's Crawl. The Coffee Society, located at 301 Cape Road in Newron Park, has been owned and operated by Christelle Swanepoel since 2000. The shop's "sister store," situated in The Gardens Centre, Circular Drive in Lorraine, opened for business five years later.
The Crawlers set out on Thursday to the Cape Road shop to check out this PE mainstay. With Cape Road being a main thoroughfare in PE my concern as I made my way toward The Coffee Society was that parking would be an issue. I was pleasantly surprised as I was able to get a spot on the street almost directly in front of the shop. Along with this easy in/easy out street parking there is also a small off-street lot between the coffee shop and the Caltex Station. Needless to say, the Crawlers had no problems with parking.
Once inside we were greeted and seated by Hostess/Waitress/Barista Robin.
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| Meet the Hostesses/Waitresses/Baristas Robin and Lisa |
The Coffee Society is a comfortable coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere and interesting decor. I loved the newspaper covered "faux windows" with red-framed food pic insets. What a cool idea....it totally works! I'm also a big fan of their having games available for customers use.... definitely sending the "sit back, relax, there's no rush" message.
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| What a cool idea! |
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| Meet the Manager Suzaan Taylor |
While we were sitting back and relaxing we all took time to peruse the menu which touts The Coffee Society as the place "Where customers become friends!" The extensive menu includes various specials and a wide range of breakfasts, lunches, and light dinners. Aside from the R10 served till noon Breakfast Special, all selections from the entire menu are served all day. The Coffee Society's own Sumatran coffee blend I found to be exceptional, especially with some cake on the side! (If I keep up this weekly lemon meringue I'll have to make more trips to the gym.... lucky for me the gym is right next to The Coffee Society's Lorraine location!)
The Cape Road Coffee Society seats about forty customers and is available for special events and functions. The shop's regular business hours are: Mon-Thurs, 6:30 a.m. - 11 p.m., Fri, 6:30 a.m. - midnight, Sat, 8 a.m. - midnight, Sun, 9 a.m. - 11 p.m.; the Lorraine shop is open Mon - Fri, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sat - Sun, 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. Both venues are wheelchair accessible.
Thursday's Crawl (Jan 24) happened to fall on my father-in-law's birthday so the Crawlers, Margaret Zoetmulder, Beth Vieira, Fran de Beer, Gail Darne, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Nomusa and Mthulisi Nkomo, June Nash, Colleen Le Roux, started off with a toast and a Hip-Hip-Hooray to Sabie in Binghamton, NY. The Crawlers all want you to come visit so they can share some coffee with the Pres of the Coffee Crawl Fan Club!!!
Once the birthday celebration was over we got to talking about the AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) soccer tournament. This year the event is being hosted by South Africa with some games being held at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in PE. Despite the initial ticket sales debacle I hear the event has been quite a success. Go Bafana Bafana! After the soccer talk I related to the Crawlers a story about a mouse situation at my house in NY. A friend who was recently checking on the house found evidence of mice having a heyday with some Baileys chocolates that Liz left in the house prior to her trip to PE. I guess with a sugar high and having a bit of a drunk on, these mice wreaked havoc in the house.... no room, wine glass, or pair of shoes was spared! All I can say is thank you, David, for cleaning up the mess and trapping the mice....Oh, and that I'm glad I wasn't there. Too funny.... yeah, I can say that 10,000 miles away!
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| This Week's Crawlers Gail, Stella, Beryl, Beth, Mthulisi, Nomusa, June, Fran, Margaret not pictured - Colleen |
So, after all the Crawlers left I had an opportunity to chat with Owner, Christelle Swanepoel, Manager (and daughter of the owner), Suzaan Taylor, as well as other family members. We actually talked for over an hour about a number of things, not the least of which was coffee. What a wonderful family.... by the time I left I felt as though I had known them forever! So, what their menu says is true... the COFFEE Society is definitely a place "Where customers become friends!"
~Thank you to Christelle, Suzaan and family - the COFFEE Society was a tremendous venue for the Crawl
~A big welcome to first time Crawler and Nomusa's younger brother, Mthulisi Nkomo
~Happy Birthday to Angela Vieira - January 29
~Happy Groundhog Day - Feb 2 in the USA. I'll keep my fingers crossed for an early Spring... you guys
really need it!
Until next week,
Ellen