New York coffee mainstay expands to Lisle

Chock Full o' Nuts Cafe, a well-known coffee chain in New York, recently opened its first Midwest location in Lisle.

Surendra Ravi and his wife, Saroja, set up shop at 6440 College Road in the College Square Shopping Mall. The store serves an array of hot and cold coffee drinks, smoothies and muffins, doughnuts and bagels, all made at the shop. Ice cream and milkshakes as well as sandwiches for breakfast and lunch are offered at the cafe, which opened at the end of May.

It's the coffee that sets the cafe apart from its competitors, Surendra Ravi said.

"Our coffee is heavenly. Once you taste it, you won't go back," he said, describing the blend as a mix between Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts.

Over the years, the cafe has become an integral part of New York's landscape, the owners said.

The business, which originally started as a nut shop, turned into a coffeehouse in New York in 1932. The coffee remains the official coffee served at Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden and the Radio City Music Hall, Saroja said.

The owners, who reside in Naperville, owned a 7-Eleven store in Lombard for 15 years before they discovered the coffee shop chain. They sold the convenience store about a year ago mainly because the hours got to be too long.

"We thought his would be right for us. We were in the coffee business with 7-Eleven before," said Surendra, who grew up in India and moved to the United States when he was 15.

Another signature item at the shop is the date-nut-and-cream cheese sandwich. When the business first opened in 1932, the sandwich was served with a cup of coffee for 5 cents.

The entrepreneurs admit that starting a business in the current business climate is not easy.

"It's very tough. People are very careful with their money. They're watching their budget," said Surendra, 49.

In an effort to get business going, the couple said they are doing a lot of advertising and doing some catering.

"You have to do whatever it takes," Surendra explained.

The Lisle shop is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, check out chockfullcafe.com.

• Kim Mikus covers small business. She welcomes comments at kmikus@dailyherald.com.