Greg Buchheister, a native of Colorado, opened the first Coffeebar in Truckee in 2010, and has since added three more: a bakery-cafe in Truckee and two cafes in Squaw Valley and Reno, Nevada.
What brought him to Menlo Park? His business partner attended Stanford University and worked in the area for many years, and convinced Buchheister to bring a Coffeebar to Menlo Park. The project has been in the works for about two years, Buchheister said.
Buchheister eventually found a home for Coffeebar at 1149 Chestnut St., which formerly housed Nak's Oriental Market and Absolutely Nails. The space is currently being remodeled, but Buchheister hopes to be open by December.
A photo of the in-progress home of Coffeebar on Chestnut Street in downtown Menlo Park, posted on the company's Instagram.
Buchheister describes Coffeebar as an all-day "Italian cafe concept," with items like espresso and pastries available in the mornings, healthy dishes for lunch and snacks, wine and beer for late afternoons and evenings.
"If you want to have a chai and someone wants to have a beer, you can go to the same place," he said. "It's got that Italian feel and menu and Italian-style coffee."
Coffeebar's pastries and desserts are baked daily, and the cafe roasts carefully sourced coffee beans in house. (They use "C1 Grade" coffees, "the highest level of industry designation in the coffee business," according to the Coffeebar website. Read more about their coffee offerings and philosophy here.)
The cafe also sources dairy products and produce from local farms, and will do the same in Menlo Park. The Truckee menu includes items like breakfast burritos, avocado toast, a quinoa bowl, sandwiches and a charcuterie board.
"We basically do a farm to table menu," Buchheister said. "We make everything from scratch. … we really try to walk the walk when it comes to that stuff."
Buchheister grew up in Colorado, where he worked in an Italian restaurant and got involved in the coffee industry. He moved to Truckee in 2010 and opened the first Coffeebar there. He described the company as "scrappy" and coming from "humble beginnings" — he said he had $100 left in his bank account when he opened the first cafe.
Buchheister said he hopes to bring something "new" and "progressive" to Menlo Park.
"There are a lot of people that don't want to go to Palo Alto to get coffee or to stand for 20 minutes in line somewhere to get coffee," he said. "The goal would be to provide them something in their community where they don't have to go outside of it to be served."
You can follow Coffeebar Menlo's progress on Instagram.
