Canopy Road Cafe's eighth restaurant opens in 30A, first in the Panhandle
SOUTH WALTON — A fast growing Florida-based breakfast and lunch eatery has made its way to 30A.
Canopy Road Cafe opened recently in Rosemary Beach along 30A as the eighth Florida location and the Panhandle's first. The eatery sits at 12805 U.S. 98 E, Inlet Beach and operates daily from 6:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., serving breakfast and lunch.
Canopy Road Cafe is the creation of Brad Buckenheimer and David Raney, college buddies who worked at a Tallahassee diner but knew they eventually wanted to start their own business.
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In 2007, they opened the first location of Canopy Road Cafe in Tallahassee. The brand has since grown to eight restaurants in four markets across the state, including Jacksonville, Tampa and now Rosemary Beach.
The success of other locations has driven them to continue serving more local communities.
"We use local art in the restaurants, local vendors and cater to locals first," Raney said. "Local diners will find that it doesn’t take long for our staff to learn their names and what they like. We hire local people and treat them well to keep turnover at the minimum."
The new 30A restaurant brings the flavors of traditional diner foods with a homemade twist to the items to keep the taste unique. From chicken bacon ranch omelets to blueberry cobbler pancakes, the menu boasts breakfast items that are special to the brand. Lunch items are also served throughout the day for those wanting a black Angus burger for breakfast.
"A big claim to fame is our cinnamon rolls and our pancakes, just because the flavors are so unique," Buckenheimer said. "We try to capture a lot of familiarities and combine them with things that would make the perfect breakfast."
Buckenheimer and Raney are Florida boys who honor their roots. All meat and produce items served in their restaurants are native to the Sunshine State. The origin behind the name Canopy Road Cafe is a reference to the Tallahassee roads that are covered by trees and would often block out the sunlight.
While the duo plans to keep the brand based in Florida, they hope to continue expanding into additional markets in Florida, particularly the Panhandle. They're considering locations in Pensacola and Destin. Buckenheimer said the ninth location will be in Seagrove Beach in front of The Lodge 30A hotel and is expected to open in early 2023.
"We're keeping up to make sure everyone is taken care of, and what we do is a little different from our competitors, which makes us unique, and I think people appreciate that," Buckenheimer said. "The communities have been so kind to us and really embraced what we're doing, and I'm thankful for that."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Canopy Road Cafe opens newest eatery in Rosemary Beach along 30A
