Apparently, coffee and cookie dough just don’t mix. The Evans franchisee of Alumni Cookie Dough had high hopes when she cut a deal to share space with the owners of Rooted Coffee House earlier in 2023.
Recently, Jen Harpley, the ACD franchisee decided to transition out of Suite 213 at the Meybohm Building in Evans Town Center. Rooted is transitioning into more space as construction is underway for a big expansion project that will be ready in 2024.
Heather Needles, co-owner of Rooted Coffeehouse said, “We’re excited to curate a menu that looks different from our current offerings, but are items we long to bring to our community.”
She added, “We know that when we nourish the roots, we tend to the soul and that is what we plan to accomplish with this new menu.”
For Jen Harpley, it’s time to return to her “roots” as full-time Chief Operating Officer of Premier Networx on the Riverwatch Parkway as that I.T. company is also in the middle of an expansion.
Harpley said it’s a win-win to help Rooted grow even more and she is glad the two entrepreneurs attempted something different.
”We thought going in that customers would patronize both of our businesses and learned we don’t necessarily have the same customers.
She said that a Mom or Dad coming in for coffee with kids were ordering more smoothies for them than cookie dough. “Rooted’s target audience is more health conscious.”
This is also a win for the real estate company whose name is on the building.
“Rooted Coffeehouse has become a cherished part of our community, and we are confident that this expansion will only enhance the exceptional experience they provide to their customers,” said Jordan Collier, Director of Commercial Development at Meybohm. “We are extremely proud of this local small business and hope the community will continue to show up in a big way to support this expansion.”
Alumni Cookie Dough is based in Athens and isn’t giving up on sharing its ooey gooey goodness with the CSRA— just in a different way moving forward.
“Alumni is focusing on our own growth through our retail and distribution partners throughout the southeast vs opening new cafes. So, at this time, we have no plans to open another cafe in Augusta, but Alumni Cookie Dough will be available in multiple locations throughout the CSRA, including the Pink Dipper and Good Earth, with more to follow,” said franchisor, Mike Dollander.
