CARBONDALE — Longbranch Café and Bakery is celebrating 25 years in business this week from Sept. 27 through Oct. 1.
The exterior of Longbranch Café as seen on Monday, Sept. 25 in Carbondale. The popular vegetarian and vegan friendly brunch spot is celebrating 25 years of business this week.
Byron Hetzler
Since opening as a coffee house on April 15, 1998, the Longbranch Café has served customers at 100 E. Jackson St. on Carbondale’s Historic Town Square. It has grown into a full-service, vegetarian restaurant that includes an organic juice bar and a world-class bakery.
“The mission of Longbranch is to serve the community healthy food,” Elaine Ramseyer, manager of Longbranch, said. She added that they also value teaching their employees how to make the healthy food.
She said the small, locally owned business creates jobs, builds the local economy and creates a welcoming space, in addition to serving healthy food.
The sparkling water industry has been booming in popularity for years now and generates an estimated $328 billion annually, per Statista.
“Longbranch is not home and not work, but it’s your place,” Ramseyer said.
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Events all week will celebrate their 25th anniversary.
Throughout the week, customers can get a cup of coffee for 25 cents with a purchase.
The café will bring back an old favorite, the Happy Artichoke Sammy, for the week.
On Thursday, Carbondale Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at noon at the café with complimentary cake served.
A farm-to-table dinner is planned for Friday with jazz music by the Kyle McDonald Jazz Quartet. Seating will be at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $51.25 for this event and available at www.longbranchcaféandbakery.com.
Saturday features an Off-the-Line t-shirt sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Gospel music will fill the café at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday featuring Greta Matthews and Matthew Wilson.
Ramseyer said Longbranch is really like three different businesses rolled into one. It’s a coffee shop with a La Marzocco Espresso machine that makes a good cup of coffee. It’s a vegetarian café that serves healthy, delicious food. And, it’s a world class bakery that creates the European and American pastries, cakes and cookies.
The business though, has seen its fair share of hardships, having survived the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a lawsuit.
“The court’s decision restores the rightful amount of back wages investigators found due and shows the U.S. Department of Labor will pursue all available avenues to ensure workers receive their rightful wages,” Christine Heri, Regional Solicitor of Labor in Chicago, said in a press release.
In January of this year, Longbranch was ordered to pay nearly $100K in back wages to 31 employees after investigators reviewed the company’s payroll records from February 2018 through February 2020 and determined the company violated federal law when they required baristas and servers to share tips with cooks and dishwashers, who do not normally receive tips.
“We’ve been through so much and kept going,” Ramseyer said. “There’s really something to celebrate when a small, local business stays for 25 years.”
On top of celebrating 25 years of business, Longbranch is also celebrating the fact that they are responsible for saving a local, historical building. The whole block on E. Jackson St. in the historic square has survived at a time when many old homes and businesses have been torn down in Carbondale.
“I’m thankful we have preserved the old building and the block is impacted,” Ramseyer said.
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In it’s 25 years of operation, the café has also helped launch a few careers. Twenty years ago, a young SIU student named Hannibal Buress got his standup career started at Longbranch by hosting an open mic comedy show. Today Buress is an actor, comedian and television writer most popularly known for his comedy specials and his work on “The Eric Andre Show.” Buress also plays a role in one of the highest grossing movies of all time as Coach Wilson in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Hundreds of artists have graced the walls or performed in the “Back Room” at Longbranch. Former Longbranch Barista and Artist Esteban del Valle, who painted the mural on the west wall, is now an internationally known artist.
The Longbranch façade was used for the coffee shop in two television shows, “Mom” and “The Odd Couple.” In 2002, Longbranch spearheaded the “Downtown Historic Business Coalition” and “Art Around the Square” in 2009. Longbranch’s Gallery Art, Literary Performances, Poetry Slams, Hip Hop Shows, Indie Bands and Salsa Nights have ceaselessly supported the arts in Southern Illinois.
Longbranch also was named a Delicious Destination by Illinois Tourism and was named the second best vegetarian restaurant by Taste St. Louis.
“If you are eating gluten free or vegan, you are coming to Longbranch,” Ramseyer said.
Longbranch is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
