Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce And Mary Beth Long.
Hi Bruce and Mary Beth, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We met in Fort Walton Beach, FL in 1996. Bruce was stationed at Eglin AFB and I was working in a nursing home. We dated for 3 years and once married started our journey of multiple moves around the country and 3 years in Okinawa Japan. While in Japan I managed the deli department in the commisary, giving me a little background working with food.
We retired from the Air Force in 2011. Bruce was working in nuclear power plants and I was working in orthopaedics.
In 2021 a 1930’s commercial building came up for sale near us that was in the need of revamping and new ownership. We bought the the building to improve our local area, and hopefully be a meeting and community place for the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. We decided to put in a small cafe in the space and it has been a success beyond our expectations. We now have people use the cafe for business meetings, Bible studies, and multiple ladies groups as a destination lunch place.
More about us at: www.longroadcafe.com
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We bought a bare bones 1930’s building so first few months were cleaning, power washing walls/floors etc. Bruce went to school after retiring from the military for industrial maintanance and received his electricians license, which was a blessing in order to get up and running as fast as we did. We built the entire cafe on a shoestring budget so we were very innovative with the decor.
The building being so old has definitely brought challenges from plumbing, electicity, the rough exterior but with each one we have been able to overcome with the help of locals, friends and family.
Previous owners still owned neighboring property causing issues with parking/customers. A local businessman ended up buying the property that they owned and then turned around selling it back to us resolving that problem.
We never worked in the restaurant industry before, so the learning curve has been huge, we’ve learned A LOT! We had a lot of support from the food vendor we use from equipment, to being able to go to their “kitchen” for sampling their products.
We have definitely come a long way!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Probably for our “Rustic appearence” of the outside, a continued work in process, but absolutely a hidden gem!
We are known for delicious, innovative sandwiches, salads, wraps with home made soups and side dishes. Our Hot Melts are the most popular menu item.
On Friday we try to do specials that are different from our weekly ones, including flarbreads, muffaletta sandwiches with gumbo, and Bruce’s smoked pork.
We take pride in the fact we put forward flavors you aren’t going to find anywhere else. We do not fry anything here so everything is absolutely as fresh as you can make it!
You can see our menu online or on facebook.
What were you like growing up?
This is Bruce. I was a super active kid. I always enjoyed motorized and remote control toys. I was really horrible at school, but smart enough to get recruited by the Air Force. I joined and ended up working on F-15 fighter jets.
This is Mary Beth, I grew up in Alabama with my 3 older sisters and brother with my mom being the only parent due to the death of my father at an early age of 35. Luckily, my grandparents moved next door and managed a small private club to help us out. The club had a pool and also steak/family nights so I got to swim a lot and also help my grandfather prepare and maintain the grounds. When mom was working, me and my sisters learned to cook at an early age and have always enjoyed it. We would always joke at family gatherings as adults that we should open a restaurant and call it Sisters. I never actulally thought I would open one, much less with my husband.
Pricing:
- $10-$20
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.longroadcafe.com
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/LongRoadCafeMaylandTN
