Sit At The Ground Hog Café To Read The Groundhog
Sitting at the corner on Main Street, lies a café filled with history, regulars and 30 different teas. What started out as a possible 6-month rental to get rid of old motorcycle parts is now a well-known coffee shop and café to locals and tourists.
Michal Kocan has been owner of The Ground Hog since it opened 15 years ago. It became strictly a café 2–3 years ago and customers couldn’t be happier. Longtime motorcycle customers still come by for a cup of coffee and “on Sunday for the best blueberry pancakes.” said employee Lindsey Byrnes. These pancakes are raved about on their Facebook page and word of mouth. The café’s very own Christine Kocher-Kocan makes them fresh on Sunday mornings only.
With only four employees, they are all responsible to cook, clean, serve in the sit-down café and act as a barista in the standing room. “It’s quaint and I love everything about it,” said Tyra Caswell, employee of eight months. At only 17 years old, she has met and connected with an immense amount of people.
The Ground Hog brings in early birds looking to grab a cup of coffee on their way to work, locals looking to relax and focus in the quiet dining, and various different groups or committees. Caswell mentioned they usually get about 30 cyclists from an annual marathon, a customer from India once a year, and most recently had the “Hudson Valley Italian-American Bass Players Society”. “There is no other place like us. Were a community business,” said Kocan.
“The people are really friendly, all the customers love getting to know us. Mike (Kocan) just grabs them in,” said Caswell. Frequent customer Satadru Sen couldn’t agree more. “I like the ambiance, calm and quiet atmosphere to do work, and the food is great. Tyra and Lindsey are absolutely fantastic at what they do; they make me want to come back,” said Sen. He is a history professor and has been regularly coming to The Ground Hog to do his work, eat, and drink coffee — “its nice, they know my name and my order every time.” said Sen.
The employees were constantly engaged and loved to share their menu favorites. Byrnes was more of a coffee person so she recommended what kind of coffee I should order, making sure everything from the cream to sugar was exactly what I wanted. Caswell, on the other hand, was more of a tea person. With a selection of over 30 teas, one may need a bit of assistance. Caswell’s favorite is the black velvet tea. She warns it has a black licorice flavor but it’s worth a try, “I don’t really like the taste of black licorice but I love this,” said Caswell.
Among the teas and coffee are a variety of food options. They serve breakfast and lunch all day and even the display of food fits the atmosphere. They serve french toast, 7 different specials, 11 “Tasty” sandwiches that can all be turned into wraps, 12 “Panini” sandwiches, burgers and more. Additionally, baked goods can be found at the front in a display case.
If the food wasn’t filling enough, there’s an in store shop for customers to purchase merchandise, hand-made jewelry, books, and anything else they can find. Kocan’s wife, Christine makes more than just pancakes but jewelry too. They sit beside sweatshirts and t-shirts with a logo designed by her in the seating area for customers to peruse and purchase. The only things not for sale are the more than 150 pig decorations, whether they be ceramic, stuffed animals, pictures, etc.
At first glance this seems like a typical coffee shop, the name stemming from coffee ‘grounds’ and a passion for pigs, ‘hog’; but it’s more than that. It’s unique story of how it was a 50/50 motorcycle/coffee shop to what is now a popular café. This veteran-owned business is not just a corner store; it’s a community and family to customers and employees. The personality of its owners shines through in every aspect. “This Halloween two regulars, Jennie and Allen came in dressed up and we had a lot of fun — I will always remember that,” recounted Caswell. Each employee has a personal relationship with both first time and frequent customers. When you walk in for a cup of coffee, you leave with an experience (and caffeine addiction) that drives you back.
