I admire anyone who starts a business from scratch; I’ve done it several times, and I know a whole lot about the pitfalls, anticipated and unanticipated, that can crop up.
I double dog admire anyone who starts a business in a crowded space like coffee, but the nice folks at Pepper Park Coffee were apparently undeterred, and opened up a great shop in one of Chicago’s fanciest suburbs, Barrington, about 55 minute NW of the Loop on the Metra commuter train.
Pepper Park has thought of it all. Great coffee drinks, amazing pastries, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, free wi fi, and ample space to spread out by yourself, as a couple or even as a group, as they have a community room that can seat 20. Plenty o’ parking and a drive thru. Nailed it. May even be just the place for a secret rendezvous!
Online and in the store, they have a great infographic that shows you just how your coffee drink will be constructed. You’ll be an expert instantly if you’re new to coffee, and it’s a good refresher for caffeine veterans.
Pepper Park is on Pepper Road, NW of town, just off Highway 14. Convenient to the local medical complexes, hospital and many other businesses, but in any case, worth a trek just to avoid the big, boring chain coffee places.