Outer Sunset Welcomes New Andytown Cafe, Roastery

Outer Sunset Welcomes New Andytown Cafe, RoasteryA peek inside the new Taraval Street cafe. | Photo: Andytown/Instagram
Mitchell Mylius
Published on March 15, 2017

The long-awaited second location of Andytown Coffee Roasters is almost ready to open its doors. A replica of the original Lawton Street location will debut with a grand opening celebration this Saturday, March 18th, at 3629 Taraval St.

When Lauren Crabbe and Michael McCrory first opened the Lawton Street location in 2014, they baked pastries, roasted beans and served coffee out of the 560-square-foot space. Now, the Lawton Street cafe will be home to only the bakery operation, which will likely expand with the additional space.

In addition to launching the new cafe, the duo has moved its roasting operation to a separate location, 3016 Taraval. Given that the space is zoned for retail use, Andytown has converted it into a coffee supply store as well as a roastery and training lab. Customers can visit the new production facility to taste some of the newest bean shipments, tour the roastery, participate in workshops or buy coffee beans, cups and other accessories for use at home.

“We operated for a long time in a very small space, and having this large space is almost like luxurious," Crabbe said.

The new production facility includes the addition of a new roaster, a Loring Kestrel S35, which is touted as “the most energy-efficient and least-polluting roaster on the market.” The new machinery roasts without smoke, allowing Andytown to increase its roasting capacity without increasing its emissions.

Andytown's new roaster. | Photos: Mitchell Mylius/Hoodline

In addition to investing in an expensive new roaster, Crabbe and McCrory were required to obtain Conditional Use Authorization from the city before breaking ground on the new cafe. “This can add six to nine months to any of your projects,” Crabbe said. “So, that whole time you cannot even start construction.”

Luckily for the small business owners, their landlord offered free rent on the future cafe space until it opened to the public.

While the roastery hasn't been open long, and the cafe won't debut until this weekend, excitement around Andytown's expansion in the Outer Sunset can already be felt around the neighborhood. And new friends from the neighborhood have already made a lasting impact on the business.

Doug Doug, a small energetic dog owned by a neighboring business owner, used to hangout around the Lawton location while the owners were building it up, said Patrick Chaffey, Andytown’s financial advisor. “He used to run back and forth sticking his face in the window and barking at us while we worked. Then he would pee on the tree out front.”

The pup is now featured on Andytown’s new to-go cups doing just that.

The Doug Doug-inspired logo.

Come this Saturday, March 18th, the new Andytown cafe at 3629 Taraval St. will open 7am–5pm daily. In honor of the grand opening, free coffee will be served all day.

In the meantime, locals are encouraged to visit the new roastery at 3016 Taraval for a tour and free tastings. Hours there are 7am–noon Wednesdays through Fridays and 7am–3pm Saturdays and Sundays.

And for another full day of free coffee, Andytown is inviting the community to the Lawton Street cafe on March 22nd to help celebrate its third anniversary.