Q&A: Hunter Kennedy Horsfall, Manager of the Alley Cat Cafe
Hunter Kennedy Horsfall has been working with The Alley Cat Cafe for six years now — but he hasn’t always been a manager. He started out as a dishwasher before working his way up and becoming one of the most familiar faces of The Alley Cat. He knows everything there is to know about the popular Fort Collins coffee shop — and I sat down with him to get an inside look.
Q: How has the Alley Cat changed since you started?
A: Our whole patio used to be open, and one of my earlier projects was building out the whole patio. For a while we had a greenhouse in here, but we ended up replacing it with a real roof later.
The biggest difference is we’ve gotten busier in these last few years. Our biggest thing has been starting our homemade focaccia bread. I have two baristas who bake. The other thing is most of our stuff is made in house now, compared to before. 80% of it is made in the kitchen. Our chai, our ginger tea, our kombucha taps.
Q: I saw on your webpage that you work with local Fort Collins businesses for your ingredients. Can you tell me more about that?
A: I can attribute a lot of our success to supporting other local businesses. It’s important for me to forge those relationships with people. Our coffee bean roaster was a customer of the Alley Cat before we starting collaborating with her. I really think she roasts some of the best coffee beans in town. She separates the coffee beans instead of roasting them together and then blends them after, which means you get the best quality. I’ve had a hard time drinking coffee anywhere else. Our medium roast is my favorite — it’s like rocket fuel.
Q: You also work with lots of local artists as well?
A: We set things up in a way that we don’t take any commission from the artists who display their work here. Our goal is just to provide a space for them to hang the work. It’s provided us with a lot of competitive artists who are doing really cool stuff. The reason were getting the talent of artists, and the art on the ceiling tiles is because of the connection people feel with the space. It’s really well reflected in our work. We’ve also renovated all of our new tables, which are all my own work.
Q: So renovating is part of your job as a manager?
A: My job is kind of 50/50. I try and manage a light touch so people are able to express themselves. And then just trying to craft an atmosphere that feels welcoming, where everyone feels comfortable working here. One of my favorite things about the Alley Cat is the connections you see with people. People you wouldn’t typically expect to cross paths — it’s a common ground for those people. I always want the space to reflect growth and change. It’s got a magical feeling to it.
Part of that too is the people in the kitchen are passionate about their job. They have an intrinsic connection with the space. The bakers do their own thing, I don’t manage them much. It’s unbelievable what they come up with. They have formerly no baking history, but they’ve become the best bakers in town. They come up with their own recipes — they have good ideas and then they go do it. They’re the type of people that make it happen.
Q: What inspired the Alley Cat to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Has it always been like this?
A: The owner is this really interesting dude. He’s my mentor. I think what really inspired it to be 24/7 is just the feeling of momentum and perpetuating energy. Everyone who comes in for a shift is coming in and picking up what someone else left off. I like that it’s simple — you can have breakfast, lunch, or dinner at any time.
The people in the kitchen are passionate about their job. They have an intrinsic connection with the space. The bakers do their own thing, I don’t manage them much. It’s unbelievable what they come up with. They have formerly no baking history, but they’ve become the best bakers in town. They come up with their own recipes — they have good ideas and then they go do it. They’re the type of people that make it happen.
Q: What would you say makes Alley Cat stand out from other coffee shops in Fort Collins?
A: What really makes the Alley Cat stand out…is cultivating a really welcoming space. It’s always felt like a level playing field to me. It removes some of the walls between people and gives them a space to interact with one another with no…artifice. It just puts them on a common ground.
And also the fact that so much of the place is run by the people who work here. I say I manage loosely because every single person who works here takes ownership of the space and puts their all into their job here.
Q: Would the Alley Cat ever consider expanding to a city other than Fort Collins?
A: We’ve talked about it a little bit, as we’re certainly getting fuller and fuller. We’ve started selling a huge amount of sandwiches since updating the bread. I wish we could open our own sandwich shop! It’s something we’ve thought about, but it just hasn’t happened yet.
Q: I saw on your Facebook page that every Sunday is free postcard day. Can you tell me more about that, and how did it start?
A: I really like the idea of people writing home. I think in our modern day society it’s so easy to send a text message. I think that receiving a handwritten thing feels really good. You know someone put some thought into it. And we’re just trying to make it as easy as possible, and say “here’s a stamped postcard, all you have to do is write a little message”. It just means a lot to receive a handwritten piece of mail. It just makes you feel special. It’s an extension of what we’re already trying to do here. My personal goal is that everyone who stops in here leaves happier than when they walked in. Writing postcards is one way to do that.
Q: What is are your favorite food and drink items at the Alley Cat?
A: Our house chai is really good, I’ve always loved it. I also love our cinnamon toffee latte. My favorite sandwich is our Laurel Street Delight — it’s our vegetarian. Even though I’m not vegetarian, I think it’s really good!
