Break Time opens near Kwik Trip

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The father-son team of Scott and Larry Plourde have opened Break Time at 228 Paperjack Drive near Kwik Trip. It’s been Larry’s dream for 16 years to open a coffee shop in the space.

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When Larry Plourde built the strip mall on Paperjack Drive, he had always intended to open a coffee shop there. Now, that dream has come true.

Plourde, along with his son Scott Plourde, have opened Break Time Café and Coffeehouse, 228 Paperjack Drive.

Featuring premium coffees, bagels, pastries, build-your-own sandwiches, salads and wraps, Scott Plourde said Break Time’s goal is to offer fresh home-style food at an affordable rate.

“You can get a full meal for $6-$7,” he said. “That was our price point and that was our goal.”

The drive-thru is scheduled to open this week for takeout orders and limited menu options.

“I need to get food out in two and a half minutes,” Plourde said of the drive-thru. “I can’t have people waiting while we’re chopping their chef’s salad. Speediness is the key.”

Plourde said there are several reasons he believes his business will succeed, the two obvious reasons being the fair prices and the great service.

“All of my employees were required to memorize our mission statement before they started working here,” he said. “I believe in our mission statement and I take it very seriously.”

The mission statement reads: “Break Time Café and Coffeehouse pledges to go beyond our customer’s expectations in everything we do. We will provide exceptional customer service with the best combination of great taste and superior quality in surroundings that are pleasant, friendly and fun!”

Plourde said his main competition will be his neighbor, Kwik Trip.

“A lot of people stop there for their coffee because they’re priced well,” he said. “I can’t compete with their prices.”

Plourde said there’s not much he can do to land the customers who don’t care about the flavor of their coffee.

“The people who think coffee is coffee are not my customers,” he said. “We offer premium coffees from all over the world.”

Break Time offers 10 coffees by the bulk, he said. Most of the coffee is organic, eco-certified and fair trade. A map hangs on the wall to educate customers about where their coffee is harvested.

As for the food, most ingredients are grown locally – even in Plourde’s own garden.

“Obviously that will change going into winter, but we still plan to offer the freshest stuff,” he said.

Even the coffee is as fresh as possible, Plourde said.

“Our coffee is roasted the day before we get it and we’re not serving it from 50 pound bags like a lot of restaurants are,” he said. “We get it in five pound bags to guarantee freshness. It’s a huge difference from the 50 pound bags. It’s a freshness factor. There’s true quality there.”

For repeat customers looking to save some money, Plourde offers a mug club. The mug club gets you your own personalized mug to be kept at Break Time, along with a 15 percent discount on all house-brewed coffee.

Plourde said it’s obvious that people really enjoy the “build-your-own sandwich” approach.

“I think there’s a real niche to be filled here,” he said. “We can offer what people want.”

Break Time’s sandwiches include a considerable amount of meat and cheese, along with four veggie or sauce options. Plourde said he’d love to be able to offer endless toppings, but the size of the sandwich would get too big.

“These are substantial sandwiches,” he said. “This is the kind of stuff people like to eat.”

Break Time is currently open daily from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m.; however, Plourde said he plans to extend those hours this fall to accommodate the area’s high school students.

“We want to be a place where they can come hang out, do homework, surf the net and just sip some coffee,” he said.

Tags: new richmond, business