This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Tangerine, a breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant, is coming to downtown Longmont; it will be located at 379 Main Street, where Sun Rose Cafe used to be.
Alec Schuler, owner and chef of Tangerine, said in a phone call with the Longmont Observer that he doesn't have an exact date for when the restaurant will open in spring 2019.
Although he said that he doesn't "have design plans yet" for the restaurant, he did say that he "wanted it to be up on Main street."
"We're going into Sun Rose Cafe's place, which is so cool to follow one of the best breakfast restaurants that was in Longmont," said Schuler.
"People were already walking that path to that door to get breakfast for the past nine years, so I'm going to keep serving it."
Sun Rose Cafe closed its doors mid-April of this year.
"Tangerine will be an incredible addition to the Downtown Longmont neighborhood," wrote Kimberlee McKee, executive director of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority (LDDA), in an email to the Longmont Observer.
"The owner, Alec Schuler, has great experience and a proven track record. The commitment to using fresh products will bring health breakfast, lunch and brunch options. The LDDA looks forward to assisting the business throughout its transition."
Schuler, whose background comes from fine dining restaurants, started Arugula in Boulder nine years ago. He sold and closed that restaurant earlier this year so that he could focus on Tangerine, he told Westword.
Tangerine currently has two locations: one in Boulder and another in Lafayette. The first location opened seven years ago, and Lafayette's opened five months ago.
As for what kind of restaurant Tangerine is, Schuler stated that it is "a breakfast, brunch, lunch restaurant, sort of like American brunch format with a healthy Mediterranean twist."
"We use as many local ingredients as we can. You can eat healthy here if you wish; you can eat not so healthy as well if you wish," continued Schuler.
Breakfast and brunch menu items range from $6.50 to $14.25; Lunch ranges from $9 to $13.50. All Tangerine locations have the same menu.
Schuler stated that he chose Longmont as his next location because of geography, customer base and customer awareness of the Tangerine name. "Longmont makes perfect sense to be number three."
Schuler also mentioned that he had done some market research over the winter by going to different breakfast and brunch restaurants in Longmont on Saturday and Sunday mornings and that "every single one, every single time has a line."
"I just feel that Longmont is awesome. It's vibrant," Schuler continued. "I feel like I can fit in just fine and hopefully be full most days."
