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Dining Out
www.theconnectionsnj.com GLADSTONE TAVERN -!). 342%%4 s ',!$34/.% .* s GLADSTONETAVERN.COM Open Air Dining Season GREAT TIMES BEGIN AT GLADSTONE TAVERN Sunny Days & Outdoor Fun LIVEMUSIC FRIDAYS JUNE 3 JUNE 17 JUNE 24 JULY 1 JULY 15 JULY 29 FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY, JUNE 19 DINNER FROMNOON MANLY SPECIALS FOR DAD! AUGUST 4 9 PEACHWEEK LOCAL FARMED PEACHMENU AUGUST 11 16 LOBSTER PALOOZA SPECIALLY PRICED LOBSTERMENU Experience the best of Cuisine and Service at Peapack’s Exceptional Dining Restaurant FEATURING OUTDOOR DINING Private Rooms Available for Parties Up to 80 People 3 Star Rating - “The Star Ledger” 141 Main Street • Peapack, NJ www.cafeazzurronj.com 908-470-1470 Open 7 Days a Week for Dinner 5 -10pm • Mon.- Fri. for Lunch 11:30-2:30pm an Italian Bistro Cafe Azzurro BYOB Zagat Rated 15 West Main Street, Mendham By: Joanne Kleinle Simple Coffee, the freshest addition to Mendham’s downtown, is just like Mendham. Like the town itself, it is simple and understated, but is all about a quality product. Simple Coffee , located at 15 West Main Street, has only been open since March 17th, but has already become the go-to place for the best coffee in town. Unlike other chains and coffee shops, Simple Coffee really is all about the coffee. Do not expect to find sandwiches and salads and yogurt. Other than a few fresh pas- tries, protein bars, teas and soft drinks, the store really does just focus on what it does best – coffee. In addition to the standard brews, customers are treated to a rotating selection of micro batch beans from around the world – places like Bali and Ethiopia – which the barista prepares fresh for each order using a pour-over dripping station. Just in time for the warm weath- er, Simple Coffee has also intro- duced a unique cold brew nitro coffee that is perfect for an after- noon pick-me up on a warm day. It is a concentrated mixture infused with nitrogen similar to Guinness ale – delicious Dave Walters, the owner of Sim- ple Coffee, is also the owner of two SmartWorld coffee shops- located in Denville and Morristown. He developed the concept for Sim- ple Coffee because he was inter- ested in making it easier for others to open a franchise and earn a good living. Current opportunities in other franchises are very expensive and complicated to implement. Simple Coffee is just like its name implies – simple. Simple Coffee offers the same coffee beans as SmartWorld Coffee, but, because it limits its menu, does not require the same level of investment, num- ber of employees and level of expertise that other franchises do. “I want to start a Simple Coffee franchise, where a middle-aged person out of a job can start their own coffee shop,” Walters said. “I was talking to people in their mid- 50s who were worried they would never find a job again. I want this to be a great place to make a living, a good spot with a good salary.” Walters wants to encourage oth- ers to open up Simple Coffee shops. “SmartWorld is a lot of work to run,” Walters states,” Sim- ple Coffee is a lot easier. The setup is quick and low cost, easy to clean, so you can control things better.” Finding a location for his first location was easy, many of his cus- tomers at his other shops were from Mendham, so he knew that the town needed a coffee shop and “when we got a hold of this loca- tion, we jumped on it.” And he was right. Only a few weeks after its opening, the shop is already meeting sales goals and developing a steady group of regulars. Dave Walter’s dream is to help others open their own Simple Cof- fee shops soon. He plans on open- ing his next location in Maple- wood. Sometimes the simple things in life really are the best. Visit Simple Coffee in Mendham and see for yourself. If you are interested in launching your own store or applying for a job, visit the website at http://simplecoffee.com/.PAGE 52