A new coffee shop and wine bar is taking over the former Partial Cafe space on North Broadway, and its owners want guests to settle in and stay awhile.
"All we've got is time," reads the Instagram bio for The Waiting Room at 828 N. Broadway. The coffee side of the business is now open, co-owner Zach Hill told Knox News, and the alcohol program will launch next month.
Zach and Alexis Hill, his life and business partner, took over the cozy neighborhood coffee shop earlier this month and worked quickly to reopen the colorful building that loyal customers loved. The couple also own Remedy Coffee near Emory Place and Zero/Zero Wine Bar in Happy Holler.
The Waiting Room marries their existing concepts, blending an all-day cafe with a quiet spot for a nightcap.
"You never know how long you're gonna be in a waiting room," Alexis said. "We wanted to position people to slow down a little bit."
Partial Cafe closed a month ago, saying the shop was built around a love of coffee "without insisting on a 'right' way to enjoy it." The Waiting Room hopes to build off that mentality, the owners said, bringing Knoxville cups of coffee they might not try otherwise.
Zach and Alexis are focusing on a scaled-back coffee menu without all the syrups, drizzles and cold foams. In fact, a vanilla latte won't even be an option.
"We don't have vanilla. We don't have caramel," Zach said. "We don't have those types of things. ... We have multiple different types of high-quality coffee."
The wine program will follow a similar mindset, with only a few different bottles offered at any given time and espresso martinis in the evenings. The business will serve a limited small plate menu and a few breakfast pastries, as well as matcha.
Alexis said operating in "such a growing neighborhood" opens up the owners to a world of opportunity, even in a saturated coffee market. Mia Piccola and K Brew, including its new bakery, are just up the road. Awaken, Old City Java, Remedy and Wild Love Bakehouse are also nearby.
"Coffee is pretty saturated in Knoxville," Zach said. "Competition is really high, but there's a little bit of it where people can just make different choices."
Once the wine program launches, the shop will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Knox News reporter Joanna Hayes covers restaurants and retail for the business growth and development team. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com; Instagram: @knoxeat65. Sign up for Joanna's Eat65 email newsletter to get the latest drink and dining news, as well as restaurant recommendations, at knoxnews.com/newsletters.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: That colorful Broadway building is a coffee shop again. Next comes the wine
