CUPS A-GO-GO is gone
Michelle Bennett
The Roanoke coffee shop CUPS A-GO-GO has closed just four months after it opened on Brambleton Avenue. Tuesday was its last day in business.
“Costs are high and I tried my hardest,” said owner Michelle Bennett.
Bennett, who also owns CUPS Coffee & Tea in Grandin Village, which opened in 2010, said her original coffee shop will remain open. She said one of the reasons she decided to close CUPS A-GO-GO was because she could not risk letting it pull the Grandin Road shop under.
“CUPS deserves my time and attention,” she said. “It wasn’t getting enough of it.”
She said she thought she had enough money to keep the new shop open long enough for it to attract a firm base of regulars, but she did not. She noted that the increased price of food, as well as a surcharge on deliveries because of high gas prices, contributed to the closure.
CUPS A-GO-GO cook Alexis Hinchey is still working for Bennett, mostly doing catering. They will continue to offer catering services. Coffee roaster Chris Spoon will also remain on board, Bennett said.
When she announced the closure on the CUPS Coffee & Tea Facebook page Monday morning, Bennett wrote: “CUPS on Grandin Rd. is still here and plans to see your babies graduate from college. Come see us soon.”
That shop is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
September 12, 2012 - 11:21 AM
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Love Cups, but this doesn’t surprise me at all. Went once and that was sufficient.
Oh I’m so sorry to hear this. We live down the street from Michelle’s original Cups and do go regularly. But I’d recently become slightly addicted to the tuna/avocado melts at Cups-a-Go-Go and would drive over for lunch. Any chance Michelle could talk Alexis into making them at our Cups?
Also, we’d heard that Michelle added some liquers to her Cups coffee menu. What a great idea. Good pairing!
I was just there yesterday for lunch. The girl that works the counter is so sweet, I hope she goes on to do well. One thing that really puts me off at both locations is that the employees come out front to smoke. The last time, before yesterday, that I went to Cups a go go I had to walk thru a cloud of smoke that was made by two of the employees at the front door. Nearly everytime I am by the Grandin location I see employees out front smoking.
That location is cursed. Michelle is a Grandin treasure, glad she was able to keep her roaster & cook on staff.
I have alerted Michelle Bennett to these comments so maybe she can think about the tuna melt request.
The way she stalks around the shop inspecting folks’ purchases and harasses people who don’t “buy enough” because she has to “pay her rent” this news doesn’t really surprise me.
The next restaurant to fold is Harbors Inn on Williamson Road. Ate there tonight, got a plate full of hushpuppies, topped with six puny oysters, six somewhat decent scallops and a quarter cup of popcorn shrimp. Owner is holding back sour cream to request. 18 bucks, pitiful.
Just a reminder, folks – if you use offensive language in your comments, I am not going to approve them. That especially applies to the f-bomb.
This does not apply to anybody who has had a comment approved on this thread, obviously. But a message to the person who left that comment – grow up!
One would think there’s nothing controversial enough to get stirred up about on a food blog to justify cursing in print.
Maybe if I thought about how animals were processed or tomatoes were genetically modified, though. Those topics get me hot under the collar! Nah, not even then…
People get darned passionate about their food round these parts.
Apparently so! Hahaha!
I can tell can you that our church group & SS classes are upset. We loved Cups a Go Go. Hope she makes it at Gradin. It isn’t in our neighborhood so we won’t be visiting it unless we are down that way
I agree with the comment about the owner stalking the customers. I went there with my kids, who both ordered drinks, but I did not order anything. The owner actually yelled at me for not ordering anything. I am in my forties and have never experienced a restaurant worker scolding me. Needless to say, I will never be back. She can blame the high price of food, but she really needs to consider the manner in which she treats her customers.