I spent most of my life in Sarnia. Moved to Toronto some time ago. My folks, still in Sarnia, have…read morebeen regulars at Coffee Lodge for years, as have many other people. Great selection, great service, and staff turnover is low and seems mostly to happen when young staffers head off to University or College.
Over a decade ago, the Coffee Lodge brought big-city java joint class to a blue-collar town stuck in the rut of Tim Hortons and other donut shops. It was only last year that Sarnia got its first Starbucks. This lack of diversity found in larger cities allowed the owner of Coffee Lodge to carve out quite a niche for himself, and eventually expand to multiple locations.
The key, whether locals will admit it or not, is the design of the place. Lots of wood finishes and shelving, chalkboards, low lighting, comfortable furniture (except at the Lambton Mall location, which is just a take-out place) and accents to match. A logo that looks like it was created by an actual marketing agency and not the owner's kid in Microsoft Paint. The menu boards are equally professionally crafted and accessible, the product names reflecting serious thought to make them catchy. They also have a line of branded products, just like the big boys.
Granted, were they located in a larger city, their menu might be larger, or have more items rotating in and out of it, but for a city the size of Sarnia, with an aging population, it's all good.
The only concern I now have for their existence is the new food court that has been built in Lambton Mall. So far, the tenants there are fast food joints, and The Coffee Lodge's very design doesn't lend itself to being nothing more than a counter with a hidden kitchen. Tim Hortons, however, has successfully embedded shops in many food courts here in Toronto, albeit by being more open-concept than their neighbours, thus retaining the feel of their higher-end stores. Coffee Lodge could probably do this in the Mall food court, too, provided the mall management gives them some leeway. Considering the unfortunate fact that Lambton Mall is bleeding retailers at the moment (goodbye Roots, goodbye Sunrise, etc.), they should be amenable to any ideas put forth by those who are remaining onboard. It'd be a shame to see Tim's nab a spot in that food court. Hopefully the mall management has the best interests of current tenants in mind.
The big reno they're currently undergoing at Lambton Mall is long overdue. It was a necessity here in Toronto for malls like Fairview and Markville--both now premium destination malls--and it was only a matter of time before the need became pressing in Sarnia. The food court and H&M are hopefully signs of a brighter future, but having coffee lodge force its customers to sit at outdated former food court tables and chairs, with a constant stream of noisy shoppers passing on either side, just isn't right. Hopefully plans are afoot to rectify this situation, because the Lodge is a strong component of the mall, and it needs a relocation.
