Steady State Roasting, the small-batch coffee roaster best known for its Carlsbad cafe, has slipped into San Marcos with a second storefront next to its roasting facility on Grand Avenue. The new, scaled-back spot sticks close to the Carlsbad menu while giving the roastery a retail front where customers can snag freshly roasted bags and a drink. Owner and lead roaster Elliot Reinecke says the location will also bring an onsite bakery into the mix, with plans for items like English muffins and country loaves.
New San Marcos Spot and Schedule
According to San Diego Magazine, the San Marcos cafe is now open at 1320 Grand Avenue and is starting with limited hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The compact shop sits right next to the company’s roasting operation and offers the same food-and-drink lineup that helped turn the Carlsbad location into a neighborhood staple. The move gives Steady State a customer-facing presence alongside its production footprint rather than hiding the roasting work in the background.
From Garage Roaster to Shared Roastery
Steady State traces its beginnings to tiny batches roasted out of a garage, then to a small Carlsbad cafe, per Steady State's "Our Story" page. The brand now roasts at a co-op-style facility in San Marcos that appears in the California Certified Organic Farmers directory as the California Roasting Collective on Grand Avenue. The Carlsbad cafe at 2562 State Street remains the flagship and, according to the roaster’s website, continues to operate on a daily schedule.
Sourcing and Long-Term Strategy
Reinecke told San Diego Magazine that Steady State sources beans from Colombia, Panama and various African origins, and that Costa Rica has become an increasingly important focus. He said he recently "bought six different lots" there from high-end local farmers. The San Marcos expansion, he explained, is meant to support roasting capacity and strategic sourcing rather than kick off a fast roll-out of new cafes. That supplier-first mindset is part of why the new cafe shares space with production instead of serving as a test case for franchising.
Hiring and Neighborhood Fit
The company has been staffing up for the San Marcos cafe. A recent job listing states, "We are opening a new Cafe in San Marcos" and calls for both kitchen and counter team members. The ad makes it clear Steady State is aiming for a low-key neighborhood fit that is food-forward and quality-focused, not a high-volume, grab-and-go operation. Local customers can expect the same attention to single-origin coffees along with carefully executed breakfast sandwiches and pastries that regulars know from Carlsbad.
What to Expect and Where to Find Them
For now, the Carlsbad shop remains Steady State’s home base, with daily hours and wholesale partners listed on its website. The company also highlights a network of wholesale accounts where its beans are available. In San Marcos, customers will find a compact cafe tucked beside production, set up to showcase freshly roasted coffees and simple bakery items as the new program ramps up. The roaster encourages customers to keep an eye on its site for updates on hours, new coffee releases and bakery additions.
