Business Spotlight: Big Momma's Coffee and Espresso Bar

Walk into Big Momma's Coffee and Espresso Bar on any given day, and you'll be greeted by the Big Momma yell and a warm: "You doing OK today?"

For owner Lyle Foster, those aren't just words; he really means them.

"I know this sounds trite, but I am passionate about community," Foster says. "I am a people person."

Foster is so enthusiastic about community, he is running as a candidate for General Seat A in the Springfield City Council election. "Rather than complain, I like to just try to join in and try to make a contribution," he explains.

A Virginia native, Foster spent 26 years in Chicago and moved to Springfield three years ago. His daughter's basketball team was playing the Drury Lady Panthers, and when he came down to see the game, he discovered Commercial Street.

"Commercial Street captured me - it chose me," Foster says. "The character, the architecture, the opportunities. I just really saw this as an area that had potential for redevelopment."

He opened Big Momma's in spring 2007 with the hopes of creating a community hangout and describes his coffee shop as a safe haven from crowds - "an atmosphere of being in (a) mother's kitchen."

Foster and his baristas bake and cook many of the menu items from scratch every day. They tempt customers with steaming cups of coffee, homemade blueberry muffins, quiches and sandwiches. The Jacquelin - piled high with smoked turkey and provolone and drizzled with basil pesto - is a crowd favorite. "That sandwich is named after my late mother - a lady of grace and elegance," Foster says.

Customers camp out with a mug and a newspaper, or meet up with friends after a long workday.

While he tries to keep the mood at Big Momma's light, Foster says there are difficulties in running a neighborhood coffee shop, such as being open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week. "Even on Thanksgiving and Christmas," he notes. "We try to be here every day for our customers, and that's a challenge."

Since Commercial Street is still at the beginning of redevelopment, the coffee shop is still a bit of a destination business. "We don't have the amount of foot traffic an urban location would normally have," Foster recognizes.

To accommodate for that, he encourages customers to host events there, such as showers, birthday parties and anniversaries. "I'm a 24-hour marketing machine," Foster adds. "Wherever I go, I talk it up."

Another strategy to bring in customers is the dinner theater and concert space, called the Backporch, which Foster opened at the rear of the shop with the help of local theater director Maxine Whittaker.

"I worked in theater in Los Angeles for a long time, sometimes in crazy locations or really small venues, and when I looked at Foster's room, I thought it could work," Whittaker says.

She drew up a plan and the two collaborated to build a stage and bring in curtains. The theater now seats up to 50, and show tickets are $10. Foster and Whittaker will put on their own performances and also bring in musical groups.

"It's been so fun working with him," Whittaker adds. "Lyle is the quintessential host - so affable and offers good meals and service."

Her next play, "Cindy Rella," is a comedy that includes a cigar-smoking fairy godmother that opens in April.

Despite the challenges of Commercial Street, Foster is optimistic about his business success. Although he declined to reveal revenues, he says coffee shops usually take two to three years before they begin to see profits.

"We are very optimistic about 2009 despite the horrific global situation," Foster says. "We believe we have loyal customers, a great product, and we are looking at opening up another location in 2009. Internally, we are looking at being leaner and learning from mistakes."

He opened a second Big Momma's location in October at 2601 N. Cresthaven Ave. in Orchard Park Apartments. "It's coming along OK," Foster says. "We opened in a slow-opening mode to get familiar with the space and the lay of the land."

Plans are also in the works for a Small Momma's at the Drury University Library, but Foster hasn't determined the timing yet.

"I love being here," he says. "If I'm in Springfield, I'm at Big Momma's."