The newest coffeshop in Santee, , is opening Monday, September 17 in the shopping center.
Co-owner of the shop, , answered some questions about what to expect:
Q: Why did you choose Santee for the new shop?
A. started in Mike and Leslie's (my in-laws) kitchen. Once it outgrew its "hobby" status it made sense to keep the family business local and close to home here in Lakeside. So when an opportunity opened up in Santee it was pretty easy to expand our definition of "local" to include more of East County.
I grew up in Santee, went to , , and —so in a very real way, Santee *is* my home. All that to say, we're passionate about quality, community, and coffee. So, a coffee house in Santee is a perfect way to serve and engage the East County community.
Q. How do you plan to standout as a coffeehouse in Santee? Why not go to Starbucks?
A. Our tagline/value statement says it all—quality, community, coffee. From Caffé D'arte in Seattle and Intelligentsia in Los Angeles to Bird Rock in La Jolla, people are continuing to discover and enrich their appreciation for fine coffee, espresso, and tea. We wholeheartedly embrace this approach to coffee. We're part of a noncompetitive, authentic and generous industry that gets to share our hobby with our peers and our customers.
Starbucks has paved a lot of the road this industry has traveled, however their scale has necessitated a departure from some of their original appeal—which is exactly where we believe we fit in. Facilitating true coffee culture by putting quality before price point and personal interaction over corporate training.
Q: Is this the first full size coffeehouse for Kaffee Meister?
A: Yes. We call our shops "Lakeside Drive-Thru & Coffee Bar" and "Santee Coffeehouse." We're proud of our coffee/espresso bar in lakeside and absolutely ecstatic that we have a drive-thru there as well as recently expanded outdoor seating between the Local Mercantile and The Big Red Barn.
Q. What should clients of the Lakeside shop expect to be different in Santee?
A. There will be more similarities than differences, however the most visible difference will be the decor and ambiance that a new, larger space allows us to create. We've been training our baristas at our Lakeside shop, so even our staff will be familiar to existing customers. While Lakeside and Santee are kindred spirits, each town in East County is unique and distinct. It's our goal to reflect the style and easthetic particular to each location.
Q. It seems the will be moving in, any other plans for art and entertainment at the shop?
A. No additional plans, but we have lots of hopes and dreams. We're focused 100% on the fundamentals right now and will be looking to receive input from the community regarding how *they* would like to use our space.
Q. What's the story with the name Kaffee Meister? I love it by the way!
A. "Kaffee Meister" was/is a term of endearment that Leslie adopted for Mike as they began pulling shots for friends and family in their home kitchen several years ago.
Q. Planned hours of operation?
A. 5:30am to 7pm Monday through Saturday. This Fall, we'll be looking to add hours on Sunday as well as additional evening hours.
Q. Anything else you want Santee to know?
A. We've been overwhelmed by the positive response so far and we're honored to join Santee's business owners in serving our community.
See more at kaffeemeister.com
