Red Mountain Expresso

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0813 Red Mountain Expresso Window

Red Mountain Expresso’s famous chickensalad sandwich is garnished with fresh grapes.

Ever had to wait less than a minute to be served homemade lunch or coffee?

If you have been to Red Mountain Expresso, you just might have.

Located on 18^th Street South near the intersection of Rosedale Drive, the coffee shop prides itself in serving customers in 30-45 seconds.

It is Homewood’s only completely drive-thru coffee shop, according to manager Brantley Visser.

“Because we don’t have a speaker box, you come straight to the window, we greet you face-to-face, [and] you stay at the window and we talk to you the whole time,” Visser said. “It’s very personal, and that’s different than most drive-thrus.”

Although customers only have a short window to chat with an employee, Visser said they make the most of face-to-face interaction.

 “We have a lot of regular customers,” Visser said. “You see them every day, all year long, and you slowly build this relationship with them and start to know more about them than you think you would.”

Also unlike chain coffee shops, Red Mountain Expresso’s team has more allowance for input, rather than being told everything you must do, according to Visser.

“We decide everything we want to do here,” Visser said. “Me, and [co-owners[ Sammy [Plaia] and Chris [Zarzaur] sit down and plan. We decide all of our specials [and] all of our drinks. It’s a lot more hands-on here.”

The hands of Red Mountain Expresso employees are not just busy making decisions. They serve customers beyond their modest storefront as well.

The shop travels around Homewood and gives out samples of its sandwiches and promotes its new beverages. Still, word-of-mouth advertisement is its main source of attracting new coffee connoisseurs and others who need a quick pick-me-up.

Additionally, the shop donates coffee to many local races, PTO meetings, schools and teachers.

Customers can buy crowd favorites chicken salad and pimento cheese by the pound or as sandwiches. The chicken salad is made fresh with 100 percent chicken breasts, pecans, grapes and a special blend of the shop’s own seasoning. With three different hand-crumbled cheeses, the pimento cheese is blended with a special blend of homemade seasoning.

Its best-selling drinks are named after two main streets in Homewood and are available as hot, iced or frozen beverages. The Hollywood Latte is blended with caramel, hazelnut and cinnamon, and the Broadway Latte is made with white chocolate and caramel.

The coffee hut also offers slushies, smoothies, espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and an assorted breakfast and lunch menu.

The staff is currently working on promoting its back-to-school special for the week of Aug. 19, in which hot beverages will be discounted during breakfast.

Since opening in January 2012, the company has grown approximately 40 percent in gross revenue and 10-15 percent in menu items, according to Visser. But its success is no mystery after co-owners Sammy Plaia and Chris Zarzaur have already been through so much together.

In October 2010, Zarzaur, also owner of Chris Z’s located in Lakeview and Jimmy’s Hot Dogs & Burgers located on Sixth Avenue South, was struck by a car, restrained underneath the tire and hauled 25 feet cross the pavement.

Zarzaur immediately promoted Plaia to help operate Chris Z’s, although Plaia was not scheduled to start work there until the next Monday. Though unexpected, Zazaur and Plaia had known each other since 1987 when they graduated from John Carroll Catholic High School.

Now the co-owners split up their time between the three businesses, while Plaia focuses mainly on Red Mountain Expresso.

“Sammy does a lot of the stuff here,” Visser said. “He’s here on the floor Monday through Friday. He’s crucial to running the place — very hands-on, always involved. He’s instrumental.”