Restaurants/Food

Consumer Stories

Best of Business Lunch Review: The Purple Hull

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 the 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”.

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B2B Stories

CSRA coffee biz keeps pouring and growing

A coffee business first spotlighted in ABD in May 2022 as a pop-up coffee cart, then again in October when they opened a brick and mortar is growing again, this time with a drive-thru which opened on June 22. “It’s been a whirlwind to get to this point, but we are excited,” said Mallory Adkison. They have an app so you can order ahead of time and still get to work on time the next day. “It keeps traffic moving smoothly and the employees and customers seem to love the

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B2B Stories

Creative couple collaborates for business success

She is an event coordinator and bakes custom cakes. He designs and builds wood and metal products. Together, Angela and Glen Dragano are a match made in Heaven. They run two separate businesses, but often work side by side to ensure the success of both. She met her future husband many years ago in Texas. Even though he moved to Aiken, they remained friends. Angela followed him in 2016 and got a job making cakes for MacK’s Deli on Laurens Street. A year later, she and Glen married and last

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Consumer Stories

Best of Business Lunch Review: Oliviana’s

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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B2B Stories

A cool treat “pops” into town

Just in time for summer, Augusta Pop Company is serving up frozen treats that can keep Augustans cool during the heat wave. Owned by married couple, Nico and Courtney Bernal, the popsicle business was started nearly six months ago. They’ve positioned the mobile company to be an option for people wanting a cold, dairy-free dessert on the go. Courtney Bernal is a native of the CSRA and an alumna of Augusta University. She obtained her bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist degrees from the college. Nico Bernal, originally from Florida, moved to

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Consumer Stories

Best of Business Lunch Review: Tacocat

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

Local businesses create healthy meals and desserts that taste like the “real thing”

Amber Connor’s bakery creates healthier alternatives to popular desserts, such as cookies, cupcakes, and brownies, and she’s now set her sights on teaching kids to follow its motto of “Treats without the cheats.” Connor, owner of Sinless Sweets located at 4336 B Washington Road in Evans, will offer her first-ever kids’ baking class for children between the ages of 5 and 12 on Wednesday, July 12. “There were 24 spots available, and all the spots sold out in an hour and a half,” she said. “We plan to offer another

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Consumer Stories

Best of Business Lunch Review: Groucho’s Deli

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

Local cookie dough franchisee, coffee shop open dual business

For nearly two years, Jen Harpley has wanted to open a dessert business across the street from Evans Towne Center Park, but as of last week, her wish has finally come true. Harpley, who serves as a COO for a CSRA business, owns the local Alumni Cookie Dough franchise at 7025 Evans Towne Center Blvd., Suite 213 in The Plaza at Evans Towne Center, which is owned by Meybohm. The space was previously occupied by Roll On In and Buzzed Bull Creamery. Alumni share its space with Rooted Coffeehouse’s second

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B2B Stories

Military rallies around restaurant grand opening

For 25-year veteran, Kelly O’Neal (pictured above) and his retired Naval vet wife, Tiffany, a new mission begins this morning with a ribbon cutting and this afternoon with a radio remote. Their new “mission” is to rally thousands of military men and women from the CSRA and “regular folks” who enjoy good food and drinks at their Rally Point Grille restaurant. “I retired with top secret clearance at Fort Gordon,” said Kelly O’Neal. Now, he must re-earn the trust of people following a decorated military career. They are “accidental restaurateurs,”

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