Coffee & beignets, anyone? New veteran owned and operated business coming to Middle GA

A veteran owned and operated drive-thru coffee shop offering top quality coffee and freshly made beignets is coming to Warner Robins.

Caffe Vignette is now under construction at 107 Assembly Lane in Warner Robins, near the intersection of Ga. 247 and Sandy Run Road.

The small 15-foot-wide by 32-foot-long coffee shop, with its planned French Quarter design, two baristas, two drive-thru windows and two drive-up lanes, is expected to be the first in possibly a dozen envisioned for Middle Georgia.

“We’re bringing Pacific Northwest coffee to New Orleans style beignets, kinda like a peanut butter-chocolate, making the two together,” said owner Bill Thomas of Missoula, Montana.

Thomas, a 101st Airborne Division Desert Storm veteran, completed his basic training at Fort Benning, a U.S. Army base just south of Columbus. He also also served with the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 508 Infantry during the U.S. Invasion of Panama.

Two of his daughters served in the U.S. Air Force. His middle daughter, Madison Heimer, was stationed at Robins Air Force Base near Warner Robins. His youngest daughter, Morgan Barrientos, served at Moody Air Force Base about 10 miles northeast of Valdosta.

Barrientos, who lives in Warner Robins, will manage the first Caffe Vignette as well as what’s expected to be from eight to a dozen more in the Warner Robins, Perry and Macon-Bibb areas.

Big dreams

The expected success of the first Caffe Vignette will determine expansion not only in Middle Georgia but also across Georgia, likely near military installations, Thomas said.

Thomas has big dreams of going nationwide, planning to offer up his business model for private investors and franchise opportunities.

The name and logo are already trademarked. His oldest daughter, Hannah Call, and her team at Marketing 360, designed the Caffe Vignette website. The menu is already up on the site.

But first things first.

At Caffe Vignette in Warner Robins, the emphasis will be on quality, consistency and speed, Thomas said.

Thomas is bringing Montana Coffee Traders, which has been roasting coffee for 40 years, to Georgia. He expects to serve up four of their popular coffees.

He’s pairing the high-end coffee with freshly-made-on-site beignets, deep-fried pastries sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

‘Vacation in a cup’

“It’s a vacation in a cup is what it is,” Thomas said. “You may not be able to go to New Orleans or fly fishing in Montana but you can get that in a cup and a beignet.”

Thomas said he’s relying on the expertise of Joey Passarini, his director of operations and executive chef.

“He’s been doing food and beverage for 34 years, and he’s going to help me open as many of these as I possibly can,” Thomas said.

Passarini, who has spent most of his life in Charleston, has worked all over the place — from feeding workers out in the Gulf on an oil rig to working at Brennan’s in New Orleans to owning Joseph’s in Charleston, Thomas said.

It was at Passarini’s first restaurant job at Brennan’s that he learned how to make beignets, Thomas said.

Also, Thomas said he’s using the best equipment possible, including La Marzocco Espresso Machines.

Thomas also wants to give his customers a visual experience. He came up with the idea of New Orleans black street lamps for signage.

French Quarter theme

But the French Quarter theme was developed by Stephanie Ard, the wife of Brandon Ard of ARD Construction. She has a natural knack for design and often works on company projects, Brandon Ard said.

Recycled bricks with different hues and earth tones, wrought iron, window shutters and ornate corbels will combine to give the building its French Quarter look, Ard said. An old-style fountain will also grace the half-acre property.

Thomas’ vision for Cafe Vignette grew out of watching the success of drive-thru coffee shops in the Pacific Northwest.

He was also inspired by Dutch Bros. and Ziggi’s Coffee after a trip to Colorado. Both of the popular drive-thru coffee chains had humble beginnings.

Thomas said he figured if they could do it, he could, too.

Thomas is the owner of Bill’s 24 Hour Plumbing, a plumbing, heating and drain cleaning business in Missoula, Montana.

He built the 20-year-old business up from scratch with multiple employees and trucks. He’s now downsized to himself and his secretary. The revenues from his plumbing business are paying for his new business venture.

If Caffe Vignette lives up to his dreams, Thomas expects he’ll likely be living in Georgia most of the time and returning to Montana in the summer months for fly fishing.

Caffe Vignette is expected to operate seven days a week, with hours to be determined.

An opening date hasn’t been set yet, but by Thanksgiving would be ideal, Thomas said. However, rain has continued to push construction back, which means the opening may be delayed into early December.

Located along Ga. 247 between a Hardee’s restaurant and a Chevron gas station, Cafe Vignette is not accessible directly from the highway. Instead, it’s accessed by Assembly Lane, formerly named Sandy Pointe Drive, which intersects with Ga. 247 near the Chevron and with Sandy Run Road beside Hardee’s.

Motorists shouldn’t have any trouble finding it once it opens. Look for the American flag that Thomas said he plans to fly on site.