All up in your Business for Sept. 18, 2014

Carolina Coffee Shop plans for menu change and forms a new partnership

Carolina Coffee Shop is changing its menu and is partnering with Carrboro Coffee Roasters. 

Jeremy Ferry, general manager for Carolina Coffee Shop, said the staff is excited for the change.

“We are looking to return back to our roots,” Ferry said. “In order to stay competitive with all these new businesses around here, we have to go back to our old rustic charm.”

Starting in October, the restaurant will separate its dinner and lunch menus and reduce the menu pages from five to three. 

Ferry said he wants to use the restaurant's dim lighting and formal setting to give dinner a more sophisticated atmosphere.

“We believe in local consumption," Ferry said. "It makes the menu items taste fresher."

Ferry said the change in the menu will not affect the prices of food.

Venable Rotisserie Bistro to open new lounge for patrons

The Venable Rotisserie Bistro will add a more casual space to its restaurant in October, when it opens a lounge connected to its current establishment. 

The new space, called B-Side Lounge, will be behind the restaurant, which is located at 200 N. Greensboro St. in Carrboro. 

 “We were offered space by our landlord and we wanted a more lounge/bar concept,” said Andrew Moore, the restaurant's owner. 

Moore said the lounge will have a different air to it than the actual restaurant.

“The food served here will be something like American tapas,” Moore said. “It will have regional, locally focused food and ingredients. The food will be finger food that can be shared on a large plate amongst three to four people.” 

Moore said the lounge will have a more contemporary decor and a different wine and cocktail menu from the restaurant.

“This lounge will be a more unique fixture to Chapel Hill and Carrboro,” he said. "We don't really have a target audience. We want it to be a fun place for everyone."

Merritt's Store & Grill Adjusts to new hours

Long-time Chapel Hill establishment Merritt's Store & Grill has reduced its weekday operating hours so its employees can focus on expanding its new catering business. 

"We want to grow our catering service and we want to take our staff and focus on catering," said restaurant manager Chris Elkins. "In order to do this we need to place our staff in the afternoon hours." 

The restaurant will now be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The store will also be open on Sundays starting Sept. 28. 

It was previously open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Elkins said catering was added to Merritt's business model because there seemed to be a strong demand for it. 

"After looking at the numbers we felt that moving ahead with our catering service and cutting back the hours was the best decision, but we still want to remain true to our customers," Elkins said.

Elkins said despite the new change in hours, there has not been a decrease in the usual number of lunch customers. 

"We are a small, local establishment that is 85 years old and we are humbled by the praise from the community," she said. "We don't want to jeopardize that, so we are committed to maintaining the quality of our food."