By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Rockford Roasting Co. plans to close its original roasting facility and brew bar in downtown today as it consolidates its cafe services under one roof at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront Hotel.
The move is designed to allow the company to focus all its attention on one location and expand its offerings with a new lunch menu that debuts today. The business is also developing longer-term plans to expand its roasting capacity in order to supply more wholesale coffee to different restaurants.
“We felt as a staff that we were kind of spreading ourselves a little too thin,” owner Benjamin Chauvin said. “It’s going to allow us to put all of our passions and efforts into one location.”
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Rockford Roasting Co. opened at 206 N. Main St. in October 2014, and for the past three years it has operated two shops just a few blocks apart in downtown. The Embassy Suites cafe, 416 S. Main St., will be its home going forward, although it will continue to handle its roasting out of the original site until a new location is identified.
The North Main Street cafe will close at 2 p.m. today. Chauvin said it’s a bittersweet moment.
“I can think back over the eight years of service and think of people who have had first dates here and people have gotten engaged here,” he said. “There are a lot of moments like that I can recall from the last eight years.”
Rockford Roasting Co. opened its Embassy Suites location in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the government-mandated shutdowns meant to curb the spread of the virus. Now, the hotel is starting to see more activity as sports tournaments and other activities return to downtown.
This weekend, for example, more than 1,000 wrestlers and 4,000 spectators are expected to fill the BMO Center for the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state championship tournament. And, an additional 5,000 visitors are expected for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Rockin’ Rockford Grand Prix volleyball tournament at the UW Health Sports Factory in downtown and the Mercyhealth Indoor Sports Center in Loves Park.
“It’s nice to see events like that returning, and it’s nice to see people visiting Rockford again,” Chauvin said. “We want to be able to position ourselves as a business to best accommodate those kind of events.”
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Food service, which includes empanadas and salads, begins today at the Embassy Suites location. Chauvin hopes customers will continue to make memories there just as they have at its first cafe.
“We’re just excited to be able to reposition ourselves and hopefully create more of those memories at the Embassy Suites location as we continue to do the things we’ve been doing: quality coffee and good vibes to the city of Rockford,” he said.
Fast facts | Rockford Roasting Co.
Where: 416 S. Main St., Rockford (on the ground floor of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront Hotel)
Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
On the web: rockfordroasting.co
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas