Village Coffee Shop opens 2nd Lodi site
Today marked the grand opening of the second Village Coffee Shop location at 700 E. Victor Road in Lodi.
The coffee shop’s opening was stalled because of a nine-month stand still. According to Julianna Jette, there was more work that needed to be done than was originally anticipated.
"We had to wait on building codes to be approved and the location needed a lot of clean up," said Jette.
The renovation consisted of newly updated bathrooms, and updates to the dining area.
Jette and her business partner, Raleigh Morrow, have worked tirelessly to get the new restaurant up and running. The duo alongside their active staff have put in numerous hours to make the operation a reality and bolster it into fruition.
“It has taught us things are not always as they seem. It has brought my employees and myself closer together,” said Jette.
The first diner at 416 W. Lodi Ave. has been open for 67 years. The restaurant has become an intrinsic element to the community.
“What sets us apart from other diners is that we know our customers, we provide a place that feels like home,” said Jette.
The shop is known for its hospitality, and its keen sense of community. They operate with the intention of getting to know their customers personally.
“When you come in, we know your name, we’ll get your coffee and we know what you want, and we know you because we sit down and talk to you, we treat you like you’re family, because when you’re here you are family,” said Jette.
Jette’s accommodating nature is apparent in the work that they do as a place in the community. According to Jette, they do not operate on a POS system (point of service), they have hand written tags, and they allow customers to run tabs. They recognize that their customers are people.
“We are old fashioned people, we’re your neighbors, and we look to help our community,” said Jette.
Which could not be truer, as much of the produce and products that are used in the restaurant are locally sourced and made from scratch. Jette feels pride that the restaurant has an authentic home-style feel and homemade recipes.
The additional location was encouraged because the shop was getting busier and the quaint location could not facilitate all the patrons that were interested in dining at the first Village Coffee Shop.
The Victor Road location currently offers a larger dining space and they have extended their hours to include a dinner menu. The location at Victor Road opens at 5 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m.
The personalities of the owners is obvious as soon as you walk in. according to Jette, Morrow loves talking to customers and telling them stories.
“Sometimes he tells them lies. We have a lie jar that he has to put a quarter in every time he lies,” said Jette.
The duo has toyed with the idea of opening a third location or opening outside of Lodi. Jette stated that Morrow loves interacting with diners and his a gregarious personality has encouraged the expansion, because he loves meeting new people.