Open Eye Cafe Supports Black Lives Matter

/0 Comments/in /by

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!

/0 Comments/in /by

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!

/0 Comments/in /by

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

/0 Comments/in /by

 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!

/0 Comments/in /by

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!

Now taking Bagel Pre-Orders for Sunday, May 24th!

/0 Comments/in /by


Requests for bagels has been positive, so we are continuing to work with our bagel partner, Deli Edison, and the next bagel pre-order, by the half dozen for pickup from the cafe, is for Sunday, May 24th! Please place your pre-orders online HERE by this Wednesday, May 20th at 4pm.

We’ll have your bagels and cream cheese ready for pickup on Sunday anytime after Noon. Thanks so much for your support in this program and all the other orders we are getting!. Looking forward to keep on sharing delicious bagels with you!

Open Eye Cafe Adds Online Ordering to their Curb-Side Pickup & Take-Away Program

/0 Comments/in /by

We are now taking online orders to make it easier for you to grab your drinks, or whole bean coffee, easily & safely, without having to checkout inside, and  keeping spatial distance.

Check out our current offerings below to review the menu, OR  just click on this LINK to scroll through the menu and place your order, prepay, and then get all the goodness with an easy pickup, or we can walk it out to the front and you never have to leave your car!

Remember you can also get your coffee, gift cards and brewing equipment delivered right to your door too, and practice the ultimate in social distancing through this website – http://www.shopcarrborocoffee.com

How to Help Farmers, Our Employees, and Our Business

/0 Comments/in /by

As a result of the COVID 19 pandemic, Open Eye Cafe has seen reduced hours with carry-out and curbside delivery only. Our sister cafe, Caffe Driade has temporarily suspended service, & one third of our staff have been furloughed and 100% of our staff have had significant decreases in hours and pay.

We have set up a Virtual Tip Jar to help supplement the tipped income lost by our dedicated and hard-working team.  All of the money raised will be divided up among our staff and go directly to them, to help support in this time of financial uncertainty.

This time of social distancing has reminded us more than ever how special our community is, and we are looking forward to the day when we can open up the doors for everyone’s enjoyment once again.

Basically, we miss you!

Thank you so much for any support you can offer.

There are a few more meaningful ways you can help us, our employees, and our farmer partners around the world:

  • We are open Monday – Friday from 7am – 7pm and Saturday – Sunday from 8am – 7pm offering carry-out (keeping appropriate social distance and touch-free checkout), and curbside delivery by calling 919-968-9410. See current offerings in menu below:

  • Visit Carrboro Coffee Roasters’ online shop & order coffee, brewing equipment, gift cards, and more. They ship anywhere in the U.S. and you can get it right to your door without ever leaving your home. Don’t need coffee yet? Send some to friends and family who do. You can also subscribe to monthly coffee deliveries or give a subscription as a gift.  SHOPCARRBOROCOFFEE.COM

  • Online gift cards will support Open Eye Cafe & Caffe Driade, and the employees who work so hard every day, 364 days a year to brighten your day with amazing beverages.

  • If, like us, you are worried about the economic survival of all the local restaurants and retail shops that make our community a better place, please keep spreading the word on our efforts & all the ways people can continue to support without leaving home.

  • Maybe you, or someone you know, can take a moment to post our efforts, write an article, or interview us to help spread the word.

Covid-19 and how we are staying safe

/0 Comments/in /by

We know that the COVID-19 outbreak has affected many of you already in daily life, and these are uncertain times for everyone in our specialty coffee community and beyond.

I’m writing to let you know that our commitment to do everything possible to provide you with the best coffees, and to support our partners at origin, especially those harvesting, processing and shipping coffees right now.

We are continually monitoring and adhering to all official recommendations, and taking additional steps, to ensure our team is healthy and able to continue their work and safely provide coffee service to our customers.

Public health is extremely important to us, and it is our duty to help ensure the public safety of our customers and staff.  In that regard, below is what we at the Cafe are doing to keep everyone safe, as well as some helpful information to help keep you and your loved ones safer.

– We are encouraging all employees to work from home whenever possible and our employees have our full support at this time.
– We require that all employees who exhibit signs of respiratory illness, fever, or cough to stay at home.
– We are supplying all of our employees with disinfectant & hand sanitizer to be used constantly throughout the day.
– We have implemented the use of color-coded gloves for handling different aspects of the business and provide a barrier.
– We are also mandating thorough hand washing, and encouraging/reminding all employees to avoid touching their faces.
– We will not be holding any in-person company meetings, gatherings, or training exercises until the situation has subsided.
– We are diligent in sanitizing every touchable surface in our operations.

– We are not conducting any public cuppings, nor group staff cuppings. This includes the Carrboro Coffee Roasters Public Workshops that are currently suspended.

– We have switched to serving in paper products as take-away only and will be restructuring our hours.
– We are strategizing for next stages of potentially adding curb-side pickup.

Remember to wash hands frequently, avoid touching the face, and practice good general hygiene, including creating the Spatial Distancing to diminish potential contamination.
Remember, the best way to deal with this situation is to follow real, verifiable science and the CDC. There is a lot of misinformation out there right now. Stay diligent, healthy, support local businesses, and stay caffeinated.

Wash Your Hands Often

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Follow Good Respiratory Hygiene

Please cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Clean Phones, Etc.

Use alcohol wipes (60% or higher) to wipe down common use items, often handled directly with your hands.

Follow Social/Spatial Distancing

Keep a minimum of 6 feet of distance between individuals to mitigate potential transmission

February/March Barista’s Choice

/0 Comments/in /by

It’s that time again! Our first Barista Highlight and Barista’s Choice drink of 2020 is Pierce a.k.a. Panther, and his White Chocolate Mocha ????????10% of the proceeds for his drink will be donated to MAPS: The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies – a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and cannabis. Panther’s White Chocolate Mocha will be on this month and all of March – make sure to order one and support a great organization! Read more about Panther, his drink and choice of charity below ????????

Q: Tell us about your baristas choice drink.
A: The White Chocolate Mocha; Ghirardelli white chocolate chips melted under our signature Piedmont espresso, steamed milk, topped with a Ghirardelli milk chocolate whipped cream and dusted with cocoa. This sweet and indulgent drink is perfect for your morning pick-me-up or an after dinner dessert.
.
Q: What charity are you choosing to donate proceeds of your drink to this month & why?
A: MAPS: The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. This non-profit organization works to develop medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful and monitored uses of psychedelics. I’ve had friends and family afflicted by varying mental and physical illnesses that could potentially be treated by medicinal psychedelic means and I believe it is a greatly underutilized and misunderstood field of research.

.

Q: Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
A: I’ve seen the chupacabra in Carrboro during its migration season
.
Q: In honor of single’s awareness day this month, what is the worst date you’ve ever been on?
A: In seventh grade I went to see Twilight with my first girlfriend and her dad. She saw some friends in the theatre next to ours and went to talk to them, which lasted the entire movie. I ended up watching Twilight with a dad I didn’t know, then my mom picked me up and I went home.
.
Q: What is the first concert you ever went to?
A: My parents took my to see the Allman brothers when I was like 1 year old. The first concert I ever chose to go to personally was Fall Out Boy in maybe likeee… 2005?
.
Q: What’s your favorite drink to order in cafés right now?
A: Double ristretto Piedmont Espresso.
.
Q: What book(s) are you reading right now?
A: Ripley’s Believe it or Not 2008
.
Q: Cats or Dogs?
A: I like big cats and little dogs
.
Q: Beach or Mountains?
A: Beach
.
Q: Favorite alt. Milk?
A: Soy
.
Q: Go-to Latte art?
A: Rosetta
.
Q: Favorite herbal tea?
A: Eight Herb
.
Q: Favorite Carrboro Coffee Roasters coffee?
A: Edith Meza’s Finca Tasta