Add one local coffee shop to Dr. Ron Suzuki’s rescued list. For Suzuki, grabbing a coffee at The Grind before seeing patients across the Village Center at his medical practice has long been a part of the morning routine. When he saw a sign at the cash register notifying customers the shop would close January 24, Suzuki did not despair. The impending closing date was just shy of his birthday.
“I thought it could be a birthday gift for myself, in a sense,” Suzuki said. “I’ve always wanted to open a coffee shop.”
The Grind remained open after Suzuki purchased the shop February 1 from a West Windsor family. The previous owners were Debbie and John Nuzzo, and Cathy and Dave DiOrio. They originally opened the shop as an “It’s A Grind” coffee house franchise in 2006. In 2014 they went independent and it became The Grind Coffee House-N-Cafe.
Now under Suzuki’s stewardship, he is thinking of renaming the shop “Eclair Cafe.” The name change is expected sometime later, but a new menu will be unveiled at the grand re-opening on Saturday, May 14. The shop will serve the Italian-brand Illy coffee and sell pastries baked on-site.
Suzuki has recruited a friend’s husband, Marc Lecomte, to deliver on the new menu offerings. Originally from Burgundy, France, Lecomte lives in Kingston and specializes in French pastries, having previously worked at a pastry shop in Philadelphia. Lecomte used to work for Joel Perez, another restaurant professional who is helping to shape the new menu.
“The main idea is to bring in high-quality products. The perception is only Princeton has high-quality stuff. We want to do even better in Plainsboro,” Suzuki said. “Previously we had lemon tart, carrot cake. They are all pre-made from the manufacturer, but now we make every single one fresh. I was amazed, [Lecomte] makes it right next to me.”
However, when it comes to food he remains mindful of customer well-being.
“I practice health. I want to make sure even though they indulge in something, it’s simple, fresh ingredients, a non-processed product in a healthy quantity.”
The doctor-turned-coffeeman grew up in San Francisco. His mother was a government secretary, and Suzuki arrived in New Jersey for medical training at Robert Wood Johnson hospital in New Brunswick. He previously lived in Plainsboro, having opened Plainsboro Urgent Care in 2003. Suzuki now lives in Lawrence, and Suzuki Medical Associates has offices in Plainsboro and Pennington. In addition to general and emergency medicine, Suzuki is a certified acupuncturist.
The coffee shop business is different from the medical business, and operating in Plainsboro Village Center isn’t easy.
“We don’t get enough local support in a lot of ways. To lease a space is not cheap, and it’s difficult to find staffing. Those are difficult issues,” Suzuki said. “We do have a group of local customers. It’s a very different type of business. It requires a lot of different ingredients. It requires a team that knows the products, advertises the store, and is part of the store.”
The reinvigorated coffee shop will provide light lunch, and Suzuki is thinking of extending store hours into the night to offer the community coffee and dessert, and possibly dinner.
Between seeing patients and managing the shop, Suzuki estimates he works more than 100 hours a week.
“It’s a lot of hard of work, but the best part is seeing people enjoy the food, seeing them smile when they eat the pastry,” Suzuki said.
The Grind, 7 Schalks Crossing Road, Plainsboro. 609-275-2919.
