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Longbranch celebrates re-opening

bkrajelis@dailyegyptian.com

Amber Arnold ~ Daily Egyptian Matt Cooper (far right), SIU senior in philosophy, sips tea and studies Chinese at the LongBranch Coffee Houses‚ re-opening party Saturday evening. The coffee house has been closed for remodeling since Dec. 15, and opened back up for business Jan. 6.

Between serving coffee and mingling with new and returning customers, the general manager of the Longbranch Coffee House danced her way into the back room where the band was playing.

After dancing solo for a few minutes, Elaine Ramseyer started grabbing customers to join her on the dance floor.

Within minutes, the empty dance floor filled with a crowd of varying ages cheering and singing along with the musical stylings of Majnun to celebrate the re-opening party of Longbranch Saturday night.

After Longbranch closed Dec. 15 for remodeling, it opened Friday morning with an expanded menu, a new look and the same laid-back atmosphere.

"You see straight, gay, handicapped, Asian, and I was just speaking French to one man," Ramseyer said. "It‚s a place where everybody, no matter what color or how old they are, can be comfortable."

Making customers feel comfortable is one of the main goals of the establishment, according to Longbranch owner Din Dayeni.

Dayeni also sings lead vocals for Majnun, who has been together for almost nine years and performs at the coffee house twice a year.

"Longbranch is a place for a bouquet of people," Dayeni said. "We want everyone to be comfortable and be free to be who they are."

Longbranch Coffee House, 100 E. Jackson St., has been open for nearly six years and was recently remodeled in hopes of being able to offer more options to customers.

Ramseyer said part of the remodeling included expanding the kitchen area and installing an L-shaped bar, a pastry case and a new self-serving water fountain.

"We used to fill up this green water pitcher; now we have this," she said, pointing to the fountain. "It‚s absolutely revolutionary."

Along with Ramseyer, the employees were also excited about the new look and convenience of the water fountain.

Longbranch employee Courtney Barrett said she has been a customer for the last two days and is excited to start her first shift Sunday in the new atmosphere.

Barrett sat with her friends at the new bar and talked about what they liked best about the remodeling.

"It‚s cool," Barrett said. "It‚s more upscale now with the food selection but still has that laid-back feeling. And I will never have to fill that green water jug again. It‚s great."

Barrett, who is originally from Champaign, said Longbranch was her favorite place to come in Carbondale when visiting family before moving here and was the first place she came when she needed a job.

Barrett‚s friend, Jason Naas, sat at the bar smoking a cigarette and admiring the new shelving units behind the bar. Naas has been a regular customer for three years and said having the Branch closed for remodeling was difficult.

"I was counting down the days," Naas said. "It was worth the wait."

Along with socializing, many customers use the coffee house as a place to study.

Matt Cooper, an SIUC senior in philosophy, sat at one of the small tables in the front room studying and drinking tea.

Cooper said he comes to the Branch often to study and enjoy the social atmosphere. He said he was excited about the new menu that offers a large selection of vegetarian meals.

"It has a really chilled-out environment," Cooper said. "I think the new menu will bring more people out."

Ramseyer said having a menu that caters to vegetarians and health-conscious people was very important to her. In addition to providing vegan meals, the coffee house provides an entire listing of ingredients for all of the items.

Ramseyer said when Longbranch first opened, they only served coffee and cookies. She said they slowly added pastries and breakfast and now have a complete menu.

"The menu is great," she said. "There‚s vegetarian meals, Moroccan food, Italian food and Mexican food. There is just about something for everyone."

Anwar Sayed, a student at John A. Logan Community College, has been coming to Longbranch since he moved to Southern Illinois from Bangladesh in 2001.

"I was the first customer on Friday," Sayed said. "I love this place. Longbranch has a great vibration."

Sayed said he came to the re-opening party to listen to the band, socialize and enjoy coffee that he said is "the best in town."

John Li, a senior in anthropology, attended the re-opening party with three of his friends whom he introduced the coffee house two years ago.

Li said he has been going to the Branch regularly for the past three years and enjoys all of the aspects of the establishment.

"The Longbranch has its own flavor," Li said. "There is no replacement for the Branch. It‚s the best of both worlds. I can study and hang out.

"That‚s the beauty of the Longbranch. It‚s not just a place for coffee. It serves so many functions. You can study, listen to music and it‚s a great place to bring dates."

Li‚s friend, Ashraf Alkarmi, said the Longbranch Coffee House is a great alternative to the bars.

"I have tried going to other coffee houses, but no one is open as late as the Longbranch," Alkarmi said.

In addition to the renovations, Ramseyer said they added more weekend entertainment options.

She said open mic night would take place Friday nights, and salsa lessons would be offered Saturday nights starting at 8 p.m. followed by dancing until 1 a.m.

"Sunday school sessions" will be sponsored by DJ Echoez on Sunday nights and will offer customers hip-hop music.

Ramseyer said she has already received a good response from customers on the re-modeling and changes of the coffee house and thinks the new entertainment will only make the Branch even better.

She said she hopes the new additions will cater to the needs of the diverse customers of the Longbranch.

"The Longbranch is the melting pot of this town," she said. "Every coffee house has its own specialty and clientele, and the Longbranch is its own little world right here in Carbondale."