Restaurants/Food

Consumer Stories

Local Vietnamese café celebrates first anniversary

When Lily Nguyen opened a café in Augusta last summer, she already had a loyal customer base who knew her from The Augusta Market, but business has increased exponentially ever since, thanks to its proximity to Augusta University and the downtown medical district. Nguyen owns Lily Coffee, Tea & Bread located at 1378 Laney Walker Blvd., Suite 101, which she opened on Aug. 1, 2022. The shop was formerly occupied by Humanitree House. Nguyen also sells boxes of Vietnamese coffee in her shop and provides them to Asian markets, including

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B2B Stories

Family-owned Ecuadorian coffee shop and bakery opens in Augusta

A little piece of Ecuador has come to Augusta with the opening of Relic Coffee Company’s location in the historic Summerville area. Located on 1504 Monte Sano Ave. in Augusta, the family-owned 100% Ecuadorian café and bakery had a soft opening on Aug. 6, which brought in many customers eager to support the new business. A grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 19. The shop has a simple menu of Ecuadorian-inspired coffees and pastries, all of which are served in-house. Cesar Schettini, owner of Relic Coffee Company, said the company’s

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Consumer Stories

Best of Business Lunch Review: Taj of India

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”. Food

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Awards/Celebrations

Local financial planner smokes his way into the national BBQ spotlight

Editor’s note: I’ve written hundreds of stories over the years, but I will never forget when I interviewed Kurt Mueller, prior to his speaking at the ABD Expo in October 2022. The subject was financial planning for Apollon Wealth Management. At one point, I asked him what he was passionate about, and his reply was my family, helping people with their finances, and barbecue. That threw me for a loop, but here’s the rest of the story. There’s no doubt you’re passionate about barbecuing when you travel 2,000 miles from

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Consumer Stories

Best of Business Lunch Review: Whiskey Bar Kitchen

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”. Food

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Consumer Stories

Illinois-based Mexican restaurant opens CSRA location

In 2014, Aide Marquez and her husband, Israel Garcia launched an authentic Mexican restaurant in Montgomery, Illinois, which now has three other locations in that state. But on Saturday, they celebrated the grand opening of their fifth location at the Augusta Mall. Marquez and Garcia are the founders and owners of Taco Madre located at 3450 Wrightsboro Road, Suite D225, which was formerly occupied by Moe’s Southwest Grill. Like many Mexican restaurants, Taco Madre serves a variety of meals, including tacos, burritos, and bowls, but diners can also enjoy meals

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Consumer Stories

CSRA restaurant featured as one of America’s Best

A little over a year ago, Greg and Angie Pierce opened The Feed Sack in Aiken. They must be doing something right. Social media reviewers give the restaurant high praise. Pretty soon, folks across the country will find out what makes The Feed Sack a favorite. “We were nominated for America’s Best Restaurants. We don’t know who nominated us, but we are flattered, and it definitely helps promote our business,” said Greg Pierce. If you aren’t familiar with America’s Best Restaurants, it’s like Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. A

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Consumer Stories

Local coffee shop owners to launch second location, offer more food options

For the last five years, Phillip Weisner and Andre Leon have owned a successful downtown coffee shop, but in a few weeks, they plan to open a second location in Columbia County that will replace a former fast food restaurant location. On Saturday, Aug. 19, Weisner and Leon, owners of Ubora Coffee Roasters located at 1128 Jones St., plan to celebrate the grand opening of their new shop located at 116 North Belair Road in Evans, the former home of Gary’s Hamburgers. Weisner said they would like to hold a

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Consumer Stories

New CSRA restaurant serves up freshly made Mexican favorites

Rosy Ortiz came to Aiken from Veracruz, Mexico 23 years ago. During that time, she worked for several restaurants, but last week, she and her business partner, Juanita Brito, opened their own place, Taqueria El Charrito. Mexican food is second only to Chinese cuisine in popularity. While you can find popular dishes including carnitas, tamales, and burritos on their menu, Ortiz is very proud of the tacos they serve. “We have five or six different types of tacos available. Everything from the corn tortilla to the salsa, Pico de Gallo,

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Consumer Stories

Wings restaurant to replace popular CSRA sub shop

With football season just around the corner, a national restaurant chain is hoping to score a touchdown by opening a new CSRA location. Atlanta-based, Touchdown Wings plans to open a new location at 3328 Wrightsboro Road, next door to Walmart in Augusta, replacing Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs, which closed last month. The restaurant is scheduled to open in October, according to the company’s website. Touchdown Wings currently offers 30 flavors of chicken wings, including spicy ranch, lemon pepper, teriyaki, and Cajun, as well as burgers, sandwiches, salads, and seafood. The

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