Ex-NFL linebacker opening coffeehouse in Fort Lauderdale

Retired NFL linebacker Stephen Tulloch is trading footballs for coffee beans with Circle House Coffee, a new drive-through coffeehouse in Fort Lauderdale’s Flagler Village.

The 4,800-square-foot coffee shop, at 727 NE Third Ave., will occupy the ground floor of a threestory building purchased by Tulloch, who retired in 2017 after 11 seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. Circle House will open the first week of October, Tulloch, 33, says by phone.

“Shoot, I love coffee,” says Tulloch, who lives in Fort Lauderdale and was raised in Miami. “I drank it every morning all 11 years of my career.”

The first drive-through coffeehouse in Flagler Village, Circle House will offer patio seating, craft beer, wine, sandwiches and pastries from Miami’s Panther Coffee, Zak the Baker and Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop. Only made-to-order sandwiches will be prepared in-house, Tulloch says.

Even though his menu items will be made in Wynwood, Tulloch says he prefers Fort Lauderdale to Miami-Dade County. “I wanted a slower-paced life to raise my family, instead of the fast hustle and bustle of Miami,” Tulloch says.

The building, which faces Northeast Third Avenue north of downtown, is still under construction, but a marine-inspired mural of fish and coral from California graffiti artist Hueman already decorates the façade. Tulloch plans to lease the second- and third-floor spaces.

Tulloch is a graduate of Miami Killian High School in Kendall, and played football for North Carolina State University before the Titans drafted him in 2006. Circle House Coffee aims to donate proceeds from coffee sales to different charities every month, starting with a breast cancer foundation in October.

If Circle House Coffee is successful in Flagler, Tulloch says he plans to expand the franchise to Nashville, Detroit and Philadelphia over the next few years.

Circle House Coffee is the latest business to open in the rising Flagler neighborhood, soon to be home to a Wynwood Yard-style marketplace.