Now Offering Carrboro Coffee Roasters Winter Solstice Seasonal Blend!

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Carrboro Coffee Roasters carefully paired three of their distinct Farmer Direct Relationship coffees as a representation of their personal relationships with coffee producer-partners, who are such an integral part of how CCR works and supports the coffee industry, and the people in it.

CCR have blended 3 individually delightful Farmer Direct Relationship coffees, from 3 distinct farms, that together create something unique and timely for this season of gathering and reflection.

Together these coffees present a luscious red fruit sweetness and acidity that is balanced by a wonderful caramel and chocolate base, a round silky body, and a dash of seasonal baking spice in the finish.

This blend offers a delicious experience that represents the unity and comforts of the season!

This makes a great gift on it’s own or paired with a mug or a Chemex brewer!

Available in the Cafe or online to ship to family & friends.

Winter Solstice Blend

Celebrate Your Civic Duty with an Open EYE (I) Voted Cup of Coffee!

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Missing your “I Voted” sticker?

We have you covered with our specially stamped ‘EYE (I) voted’ cups!

Come get your cup on Election Day ( 11/3) when we will be giving away one free 8oz brewed coffee per customer!

Then, snap a selfie with your cup, and tag us in it on social media to be entered to win our election season raffle box, packed with goodies!

Raffle prize includes an Open Eye Cafe T-Shirt, 8oz of Finca El Balam, $25 OE gift card, a CCR Diner mug and Lo & Behold Naturals Espresso Lip Balm (made with Carrboro Coffee Roasters Piedmont Espresso).

Be sure to post those photos before the end of business day (6pm) on Wednesday November 4th to be eligible to win.

Open Eye Cafe Reopens with Adjusted Hours!

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We are reopening with adjusted hours!

We have been working closely with the OC Health Dept and staff to assure the safety of staff and customers.

We are cleared to re-open after having deep-cleaned the Cafe and tested all staff. All this, paired with our standard prevention/sanitization policies, ensure a safe environment
for everyone in our community to visit!

We will be working with adjusted hours as we build back up:

Mon 10/26 – Thur 10/29 8am – 2pm
Fri 10/30 7am – 6pm
Sat 10/31 – Sun 11/1 8am – 6pm

We would like to thank our community for being so supportive as we worked through this situation in a way that was safest for all.
We also appreciate the OC Health Dept for guiding this process, and all of our wonderful neighbor businesses for being there for us!

Open Eye Cafe Opens Up Front & Back Patios Outside!

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Have you heard the news? We’re reopening our front and back patio!

As always, safety is our #1 priority – seating will continue to stay spaced out at least 6 feet apart and we ask that neither tables nor chairs are moved from their designated spots.

Masks are required until you reach the table and must be put back on before leaving the table, in other words – please only remove your mask when actively seated.

Each table will have a two-sided sign, one side green and the other red.

Red means stop and green means go – easy to remember!

🟢 Tables that have been sanitized and are ready for use will have the sign green side up.

🔴 If you see a table with the red side of the sign facing up, please see a staff member for sanitizing before sitting.

As you leave your table, please flip the sign over to the red side indicating that the table needs to be sanitized…After all, teamwork is dream work!

Open Eye Cafe Raises $500 for NC Black Alliance with Community Help!

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Thanks to your participation in our retail bag fundraiser, we were able to raise $500 for

North Carolina Black Alliance
With this donation NCBA will be able to continue working toward state-level systemic change by strengthening the network of elected officials representing communities of color throughout the state.

Thank you for your generous support and stay tuned for our next fundraiser!

Open Eye Cafe Supports Black Lives Matter

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Open Eye Cafe, as a business that is fully interconnected in our communities, is committed to doing our part to dismantle systemic racism and address the power dynamics that are unfair to Black people and all disenfranchised communities.

While words can be a supportive first step, they can also be a hollow gesture, especially on social media, if there is no follow through. So we have taken the time first to listen. We are currently working with our staff to solidify thoughts, and potential actions so that we can create a strategic plan for change, that we can implement going forward long term.

These steps will include continued support and implementation of our company-wide diversity and inclusion training, with speakers that can be a platform to amplify the voices of Black professionals in order to have overdue conversations that will be instrumental in moving us forward as a company, an industry, & ultimately as a people united.

Also included in these first steps as we continue to build our donation platform for the future, we will be diversifying our donor list to both raise awareness for these organizations, as well as supporting financially to make actionable results possible.

To start, proceeds from all retail coffee bags from Monday, June 22 through Sunday July 5th, will be donated to the NC Community Bail Fund of Durham on behalf of all Cafe employees, who determined this to be a good local place to start supporting.

NC Community Bail Funds is an organization that lobbies for bail reform and supports individuals through the criminal justice system returning clients to their homes, jobs, and communities, in turn giving them a more equitable case procedure.

Find out more about the important work they are doing here: https://www.nccbailfund.org/

#CarolinaChamber #NCCommunityBailFund #BlackLivesMatter #DirectRelationshipCoffee #CarboroCoffee

Reintroducing the Cold Brew Ice Cream Float!

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Its time to bring back our cold brew ice cream float!

Made with Carrboro Coffee Roasters‘ Ethiopia Ardi cold brew and  creamy vanilla ice cream, then topped with NITROBrew for that sparkling mouthfeel – it is a delightful & refreshing warm weather treat!

Order in-person, online or on our Toast Takeout App.

Pastries Are Back!

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We’re excited to announce the return of pastries! We’ll be offering some of your favorite & most requested treats from Ninth Street Bakery including butter & chocolate croissants, scones, danishes, and muffins. Deliveries will arrive fresh every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning (no pre-ordering necessary). If the response is positive, we will continue expanding our offerings into other days of the week. ????☕️???? Order in-person (face coverings required to come inside), or online HERE for take-out or curbside delivery!

Operation Updates for Open Eye Cafe – 6/20

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 There are many complicated aspects to NC Phase 2 reopening, that started May 22nd; but certainly our biggest concern is the health & safety of our team and our customers.

​So in consideration of the health & well being of staff & customers, w​e are not currently planning to re-open our indoor seating​ or back patio​, but we will continue to monitor on a daily basis for ​the appropriate timeline ​of a gradual re-opening.

​Current Status:​

  •   We will continue to provide ordering at the counter for takeout. Please be mindful of keeping distance between other guests as well as employees and wait for staff to call you toward the counter.

  •   We are continuing our Online ordering for takeout or ‘curbside‘ delivery to cars, bikes or whatever! This is a great option for anyone who forgot their mask and is not able to enter the building – find the link on our website openeyecafe.wpengine.com & look for the new designated parking signs.

  •   We humbly request ​that ​customers follow the health & safety guidelines to protect all who are in & entering the property​;​ and please stay home & rest if you are feeling ill, ​then come back & see us when you’re ​feeling better!

  • We are happy to offer a space to socially distance–hang outside with your neighbor on our front patio. You can stand around the tables and give your drinks a rest, however there will be no chairs just yet. You are welcome to sit on our bench or picnic table out front, but only one person/household at a time on the bench, and no more than 2 people on the picnic table if sitting on opposite ends, unless you’re from the same household/group.

Our safety strategies:

  •   ​ ​We are currently able to successfully offer thoughtfully prepared beverages & more, while also maintaining a strict sanitizing schedule. We are confident in our proactive sanitizing systems we have established for your safety, and the safety of our team.

  •    Our staff is being certified on new health department guidelines (Count On Me NC), as well as being screened for symptoms before every shift and wearing masks at all times.

  •     Appropriate face coverings are mandatory for anyone who chooses to enter the building or order inside.

  •     We will maintain a 10 person maximum capacity inside, and ask that customers adhere to the required social distancing of 6 foot minimum when inside or outside​,​ waiting for your drinks.

We’ll keep everyone updated ​on social media, email and website​s ​of any ​changes as we move forward.

Please remember that this is a difficult time for our staff, and most employees in the service industry. We ask that you be kind to our staff & patient with all retail workers, as we all start to figure out the best way to re-open. This may look different for each business, so please try to be respectful of each individual approach, and the guidelines they’re putting in their spaces for how they operate right now.

Thank you so much for all of your continued support. We wouldn’t be here without you​,​ and are so thankful for your understanding and patience as we navigate these strange times.

with love,

Open Eye Cafe

Sunday Bagels & Coffee!

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Our Sundays have just gotten better with Deli Edison bagels and Carrboro Coffee Roasters’ coffee – a perfect combination! Place your orders by Wednesday at 4pm for the following Sunday. Order by the 1/2 dozen – options include plain, sesame, and everything with plain, herb-garlic, or bacon-scallion cream cheese! Taking pre-orders HERE!