Bitty & Beau’s Coffee – formerly Beau’s Coffee – held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday to mark its new location at 4949 New Centre Drive.
 
Surrounded by family, friends, employees and community leaders, co-founder Amy Wright thanked the Rippy family for their support and generosity. The Rippys donated the 5,000-square-foot former Hummer dealership to the nonprofit company just last month to move its coffee shop into a larger space. Wright credited Thomas Construction Group with the building’s rapid transformation.
 
Wright said the opening weekend exceeded her expectations.
 
“It’s been wonderful to see groups and families come in and enjoy the new space. We’re stroller and wheelchair accessible now, and there’s room for people to sit down and enjoy the café as a gathering space,” she said.
 
In addition to expanded seating, the new café also has a private conference room that can be reserved for meetings or gatherings. The menu has been expanded as well to include breakfast sandwiches that are served all day, as well as deli sandwiches and salads provided by Farmin’.
 
The coffee shop opened its doors in January at 4414 Wrightsville Ave. with the intent to hire people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a way to provide them with meaningful employment.
 
Customer response was strong from the beginning.
 
With its new, larger location Bitty & Beau’s has doubled its original staff from 20 to 40 employees and expanded its hours to 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.
 
Wright said part of what has made the transition so smooth has been the original staff member’s involvement in training new employees.
 
“To see these employees taking on the role of leaders and helping to train the new staff has been amazing,” she said. “Their confidence and leadership has made for a very smooth transition.”
 
As for future expansion, the company has completed about ninety percent of its franchise package, which they hope to roll out this fall. Inquiries on franchising opportunities have been pouring in over the last several months said Wright and she is eager to begin the franchising process in North and South Carolina.
 
Bitty & Beau’s new location will serve as the company’s headquarters and the training space for franchisees.

Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email us at [email protected].