LAFAYETTE – Greyhouse Coffee & Supply Co., a fixture coffeehouse near Purdue, was looking for a spot across the Wabash River in downtown Lafayette.
The partners behind Ripple & Company were looking for a branded coffee to go with the fast-casual, counter-service concept they’re building to complement the sit-down dinners at East End Grill, just across Main Street.
In October, Greyhouse will set up its second shop, essentially in Ripple & Company when the restaurant opens at 1007 Main St., in a partnership the two businesses shared Monday on social media.
“We literally had Ali (Whistuff) over for a cup of coffee one day,” Scott Trzaskus, owner of East End Grill and a partner in Ripple & Company, said about a meeting several months ago with Greyhouse Coffee’s general manager.
“And 20 minutes later it was a done deal,” Trzaskus said. “It was just mutual admiration.”
Greyhouse Coffee, an offshoot of the Campus House ministry at Purdue, opened in 2008 in the Miller Building at the corner of Northwestern Avenue and South Street, a few blocks from Purdue’s campus. The coffeehouse already had plans to open another shop at a new Campus House building in the works at State and Waldron streets.
“That was going to be our second location,” Whistuff said. “But this just worked out so well.”
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Whistuff said Greyhouse had been scouting for a third spot in downtown Lafayette. She knew Ambarish Lulay, executive chef at East End Grill and a fellow graduate of Purdue’s restaurant and hospitality program. Lulay will be in the same role at Ripple & Company and asked if Whistuff would consult on questions about the kinds of specialty coffee that would fit best at the new restaurant.
One thing led to another.
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Trzaskus said the pending relocation of Fuel Coffeehouse – which had been next door to the Ripple & Company site and is preparing to reopen a half-mile up the hill on 16th Street – “kind of created a hole in the area.”
“The idea was: Let’s do coffee, and let’s do it really well,” Trzaskus said. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Greyhouse.”
Whistuff said Greyhouse will bring its menu of coffee and doughnuts from the West Lafayette Village.
Why announce the plans now, with two months until opening?
“Fun news is rare these days, I guess,” Whistuff said. “And seeing this come together counts as fun for us.”
Reach Dave Bangert at 765-420-5258 or at dbangert@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @davebangert.
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