Foxtail Coffee will be joining over 150 other stores and restaurants at Butler Plaza in southwest Gainesville this Fall. Located at 2851 SW 35th Drive, Suite 10, the coffee shop will sit P.F. Changs, CycleBar and Pink Narcissus. From drinks like cold brews and chai tea lattes, or bakery treats such as chocolate croissants and warm banana bread, Foxtail will offer Gainesville residents a wide variety of flavors.
John Dickerson, the marketing director of Butler Plaza, said the addition of a new coffee shop was always a very popular contender.
“When we asked the surrounding community what businesses would they like to see come to Butler Town Center, a coffee shop was always at the top of the list,” Dickerson said. “Foxtail Coffee is the perfect addition to Butler Town Center because, much like our vision here at Butler, Foxtail Coffee strives to create an inviting atmosphere in their shops while delivering the best quality product they can.”
University of Alabama alumnus, Matt Hoggle, visited Foxtail’s Orlando locations and expressed his excitement for its move to Gainesville.
“The nitro cold brew coffee was fantastic on draft,” he said. “I definitely plan to visit once it opens.”
Hoggle said sitting at the coffee bar was a notable experience, and he hopes the new store retains similar design elements as its Orlando-based stores.
“The overall atmosphere was unique,” he said. “The way it was designed, exposed pipes and ductwork, kind of had the prohibition era feel to it. ”
According to a press release from Butler Enterprises, longtime friends Alex Tchekmeian and Iain Yeakle brought their vision of a neighborhood cafe to life in 2016 and opened their first Foxtail Coffee store in Orlando, FL. It quickly garnered a large fanbase and several other locations sprouted up throughout Central Florida shortly after.
The two creators prioritize roasting coffee beans at their on-site locations, kegging cold brew and providing wholesale coffee to nearby local restaurants-- to which they believe these practices make Foxtail a unique competitor among other coffee chains. Tchekmeian and Yeakle attribute much of their growth to their distinctive approach to producing coffee. They treat the production of their coffee as a craft and the serving of it as a celebration.
Nicole Kindel, University of Florida exploratory student, plans to visit as soon as it opens.
“I’ve never been to Foxtail Coffee, but friends of mine love it,” the 18 year old said. “I’m a huge coffee drinker so I’m looking forward to having a new spot to sip on my favorite lattes and do schoolwork.”
As excitement mounts for Foxtail Coffee’s opening, Dickerson encourages newcomers to visit in the Fall.
“Those who haven't already visited Foxtail Coffee are in for a fantastic experience when they open."
Contact Bryce at bbrown@alligator.org. Follow @brycebrownn on Twitter.
Bryce Brown is a third-year journalism major and copy editor for The Alligator. He has previously worked as a metro general assignment reporter on the Metro desk and as staff writer for The Avenue. When he's not fretting over deadlines, you can find him drinking copious amounts of black iced coffee and listening to Lana Del Rey.
