Baristas Coffee Bar soon will move into Marquette Tower

A new tenant will be moving into the Marquette Tower, bringing a new dining option to downtown Cape Girardeau.

The owners of Primo Vino LLC, who are responsible for Cask, a craft spirits and beer lounge, and Primo Vino, which specializes in wine, on Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, are jumping into a new venture: restaurant ownership. And it will begin with Baristas Coffee Bar on the first floor of 338 Broadway.

Managing partner Keller Ford said they’re looking to February for an opening date, though their focus is getting Primo Vino and Cask through the holiday season.

Though his attention is divided, Ford said, progress on the coffee bar is targeted and swift.

“Things are in motion now. Construction has already started, and we hope to have kitchen equipment installed around the first of the year,” Ford said. “So it’s going to come together pretty quick.”

Baristas Coffee Bar will offer a variety of beverages, from espresso, cappuccino and batch-brewed and hand-brewed coffee to teas and smoothies, Ford said.

“We’re definitely taking the passion people have for coffee in a serious manner,” Ford said. “We’re sourcing really high-quality coffee and beans and making sure we have people trained to coax the best part of the coffee out of the beans.”

The restaurant also will offer a casual breakfast and lunch menu featuring soups, salads and sandwiches.

“It will be a small menu, but it will be good, fresh food,” Ford said.

Seating will be limited in the restaurant. Ford said he envisions many customers finding space within the Marquette lobby to enjoy their meals.

“They’ve got it all fixed up and looking great,” Ford said. “So we anticipate people will sit out there, read the paper, have some coffee, maybe take their lunch out there as well.”

Ford said his ownership group also plans to set up a small-plate restaurant on the seventh floor of the Tower, which has a balcony overlooking the city and river.

The seventh-floor venture does not have a name, but Ford said it will have a bar atmosphere, a rotating menu and a moving target opening date of July or August.

But first, the focus will be on Baristas, he said.

“It’s a little daunting, thinking about the amount of work we’re going to be doing in 2017 down there,” Ford said. “But it’s exciting.”

Applications for employment are available at the restaurant’s website, www.baristascoffeebar.com.

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

338 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.