Churchill perks to life with four stores

by Bryan Smith

SBJ Staff

The fork in front of the building may be gone, but the managing partners of the new Churchill Coffee Estate and Cafe feel they have the right utensils to make their business a success.

Dave Miller and Cary Summers will open Churchill's first location July 27 at 3662 S. Glenstone in the former Greenhouse Market building.

Miller is starting with Churchill after a stint as the president and CEO of Consumers Food and Drug, which closed its stores earlier this year. Miller worked with Consumers and Fleming Co.

Summers was formerly president and CEO of Silver Dollar City before beginning his work in the Churchill organization. Before that, he worked at Bass Pro Shops.

The new company is the product of nearly a year of planning, travel and research.

"This is so unique. We went and looked at over 200 coffee cafes all over the country," Summers said. "There's really nothing like this."

The location on Glenstone is the first of four scheduled to open in the next three months.

Churchill will open a location called Churchill Memory Cafe in Southwest Missouri State University's new student union in August. Churchill Coffee Bistro will open in Kelly Plaza the first week of September, and Churchill Coffee International Cafe will open in the new Springfield-Greene County Library in late October.

Summers said each of the four stores has a different theme. "We tried to create an interesting, fun eating experience, not just a cup of coffee," Summers said.

The Glenstone location will have an estate-style environment, while the Kelly Plaza shop will be patterned after an Italian eatery. Miller said the SMSU site will have a "lost in the '50s" theme.

"On the SMS campus, we just wanted to have some fun," Miller said.

The final location will tie into the library's international theme.

Striving to make their new business "not just a coffee hangout," Summers and Miller are making the restaurants interactive, allowing customers to talk to grinders about the different types of coffee in the store.

"Our goal is to present an 'edutainment' atmosphere," Summers said. "It's really a learning experience, and also a place to enjoy a cup of coffee."

Annie Busch, executive director of the Springfield-Greene County Library District, said the library system received a positive response when it floated the idea of a coffee cafe.

"We found in the beginning, when we mentioned the possibility, people were really excited about the idea," Busch said.

The library presented a request for proposal to a number of coffee shops in the area, and received six offers back.

After narrowing the field to three, the library district listened to proposals from each before deciding on Churchill Coffee.

Busch said the contract for the space had not been signed as of July 20, but that will likely occur by the end of this week.

Like the library, SMSU accepted bids from several cafes before choosing Churchill to operate in its student union.

"We were quite happy with the bid that Churchill's gave us," said Don Aripoli, vice president of student affairs.

The cafe will be on the first floor of the student union. It should be finished before Aug. 19.

"Our hope is that it will be open and operational by the time students return for classes," Aripoli said.

Churchill Coffee Estate and Cafe will be the largest of the four locations. Each site will essentially share the same menu, but each cafe will have a few menu items that can only be found at that particular site.

Summers said the Estate and Cafe will have more than 40 coffees to choose from, with six types of coffee offered each day. If a customer wants to try a coffee not featured that particular day, Summers said the store can fix a small pot to sample.

In addition to coffee, Churchill will offer a number of teas, and hot and cold drinks, including fruit drinks from Israel that are found nowhere else in the United States outside of New York.

"It's not just coffee on the drinks side," Summers said. "We can hit anybody's need for a drink."

Churchill will offer pastries and quiche for breakfast, and will sell soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch. It will also have a dessert menu with more than 30 items to choose from.

"It'll be the largest dessert selection in the Midwest," Summers said. "In fact, it's one of the largest in the nation."

Summers said many of the desserts are made in-house, but others come from firms as close as Nixa and as far away as Chicago and Orlando.

Summers said prices would be competitive with the market, but Miller said the atmosphere will add a whole new level to what the customer gets in the deal.

"Usually when you go to a coffee shop and get a cappuccino, you spend $3," Miller said. "We feel for $3, you should get something."

While Miller and Summers are opening the four locations in Springfield, they are also looking for additional locations throughout the Midwest and the southeast part of the country.

Summers said more locations will be announced within six to eight months.[[In-content Ad]]