Question-answer with Glenview Grind owner Cathy Schiltz

People assume the name is Schlitz. It is not.

It's Schiltz. Cathy Schiltz.

The owner of Glenview Grind Coffee House, Schiltz has been at it since 2013 when she took over the shop from a friend who "bought it to save a Caribou (Coffee) business that had died," Schiltz said.

After entering into a lease at a new apartment building and enlisting her father, Jim Kapustiak, to construct its retail space - while Schiltz concurrently ran the original store - in 2015 the Grind opened at its current location, 1837 Glenview Road.

Schilt'z fiancé, Tom Stone, is a great help in maintaining the shop, she said.

Proud not only of the shop's coffee beans, which arrive two short days after being roasted, Schiltz enjoys working with nearby purveyors to also offer tea, smoothies, specialty drinks and "anytime food" every day of the week.

A single mother of four boys now in their 20s, all of whom help out with the business part-time, Schiltz grew up in Skokie and attended Regina Dominican in Wilmette. She likes to hire high school students from area schools like Regina, Glenbrook South, Loyola, New Trier and Niles West.

"I love to see kids grow in this job," she said.

Schiltz recently came off a six-year term as a board member of the Glenview Chamber of Commerce. Glenview Grind has had working relationships with the Northfield Food Pantry, Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook, and donates to local schools.

She said her customers and staff both are passionate about the business, and she herself is passionate about customer service.

"We want people to feel good," Schiltz said.

The Herald submitted Schiltz a few questions, and her responses follow below, lightly edited for clarity.

H: Can you tell us how the Glenview Grind began?

CS: Eight years ago I was going through a very tough transition in my life, a long and painful divorce. I needed to find something to support my four sons.

I took over the original Glenview Grind on the corner of Waukegan Road and Glenview Road in 2015. I quickly realized I needed to do something different to make this business a success. The location was difficult.

I then found the present location, just about a block away, but with more walking traffic, better parking and more density. It also had a drive-through.

It was a completely empty space, so with my father (Jim Kapustiak) coming out of retirement and being the general contractor, we built out the space while still running the old shop on the corner. That took about a year.

I then also got very involved with the community which helped to grow my brand.

H: How has the pandemic affected business?

CS: The pandemic has been very interesting for the Glenview Grind. It has challenged myself and my team.

At first, it hurt our sales. We had to close the cafe and only do business through the drive-through. We had to all do our very best to abide by all guidelines and stay healthy. My team did that.

We never had to close one day during the pandemic because of staff getting COVID. We were strict with PPE, hand washing and cleaning. We remained positive and because of that, our customer base grew.

Customers constantly expressed their appreciation to us for being consistently open. They liked having a place to go on a daily basis to chat with someone. That was very fulfilling for my whole team. It made us grateful for the Glenview Grind and for having a job to get out of the house and go to.

We also did many special orders for the hospitals donated by our customers. We raised money for the Northfield Food Pantry with donations from our customers.

I believe it took this very difficult and stressful time and brought me and my team closer to our customers and the community.

H: What are your three best-selling items?

CS: Our locally roasted, extremely fresh, drip coffee. (Then) Avocado Toast (and the) Glenview Greener Smoothie.

H: What do people like best about Glenview Grind?

CS: Our team of hardworking, friendly, awesome human beings.

H: Are you a coffee connoisseur? What's the best you've had, and where?

CS: I have grown to learn a lot about coffee during these last eight years. I don't consider myself quite a connoisseur. I do like to drink my coffee black.

I really admire my roaster, Erik Barkley. He has taught me so much. Because of him, the Glenview Grind has the best cup of coffee. He roasts special for us and delivers the beans fresh every week.

H: Are "dog people" coffee drinkers and "cat people" tea drinkers?

CS: I would have to guess that you are probably correct with that statement. We do have a lot of dogs that come through our drive-through. They love their free dog treats while their owners get coffee. Our team loves seeing all the puppies in the window!