The coffee shop moved into the former location of First Watch, a breakfast and lunch destination that closed earlier this year.
Cartel is also extending its closing time to 6 p.m. from the previous 3 p.m., as well as opening on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It’s a lot bigger, and it’s got a lot better street presence being right on the corner,” store manager Jason Calhoon said.
Since moving to the new location, daily sales have risen from $400-$600 to $900-$1,200, Cartel Coffee Lab office administrator Revae Krueger said.
The dining area and kitchen in the new location are more than twice their previous sizes.
“We all have room to spread our wings,” kitchen manager Jesse Perry said.
The kitchen staff has new equipment to accompany the expanded space, Perry said, giving the staff tools to create new dishes and produce a greater quantity of food.
Perry said he expects to release an updated breakfast and lunch menu in the beginning of 2013.
On Feb. 1, 2013, Perry said he hopes to expand into late night and serve beer, wine and cocktails like other Cartel locations throughout the Valley. A tapas menu will be available after 6 p.m. to complement the drinks.
“We will be offering late night snack food that would fall under the idea of bar food but will have no correlation to what people’s perception of bar food is,” Perry said.
Some items to expect are deconstructed bruschetta and hummus, Perry said. All beer and wine will be from Arizona.
Cartel currently has a liquor license. But due to a lease stipulation with other members in the same building, the license has yet to take effect, Perry said.
Cartel had been looking to expand, so when the corner location opened, the restaurant jumped on the opportunity, Krueger said. The old location was hidden and its size prevented Cartel from providing its best service, she added. The majority of customers at the old location had been regulars, but new customers have started to show up to the new location.
“We’ve had a big flux of new people that have never been to Cartel before,” Calhoon said.
The old location had room for 50 people compared to the new maximum occupancy of 100-200, Krueger said.
“It’s … quite possibly the best location,” said Jacob Wright, a regular customer and downtown hotel manager.
Wright said he believed the corner location near the light rail and CityScape would greatly increase Cartel’s patronage.
On her first visit to Cartel, Sharon Denny, a social worker in the social work master’s degree program at ASU, said she liked the location for its close proximity to school. She said she had been looking for a place to work and will likely return.
Cartel has only advertised its new Saturday hours by word of mouth.
“There wasn’t a ton of people that knew about it, but going forward we’re telling everybody,” Calhoon said.
The new hours are now posted on Cartel’s website, social media accounts and a sign in the restaurant.
The new location features a large counter that doubles as a drain, moveable cement blocks so patrons can put tables together as they please and more windows to allow natural light.
Contact the reporter at danika.worthington@asu.edu
