Photograph by Paul Myers
The Blue Rock Shoot, known as a friendly kind of place where one can enjoy coffee or lunch on the front porch, re-opened Dec. 2 under new management.
Former customer takes over Blue Rock Shoot
By Rebecca Ray
Terry Richardson had wanted to own the Blue Rock Shoot coffeehouse since Mitch Cutler opened it in 1996. As a customer, Richardson liked the character of the restaurant and the way he could sit outside for hours and forget daily stresses.
Recently, Richardson realized his dream, by signing a three-year lease to run the business. Cutler, who owns the restaurant building at 14523 Big Basin Way, had closed the business Oct. 27 because of a disagreement between himself and the previous business owner, Josh White, over the terms of White's lease. Cutler evicted White, and Richardson re-opened Blue Rock Shoot on Dec. 2.
Richardson said that owning Blue Rock Shoot was "pretty exciting, without a doubt."
Richardson, 37, says he looks forward to changing the business as the community evolves. Although he says he's just focusing on starting the business and settling into a routine for now, he has some ideas for change. His first, he says, will probably be the addition of a pool table downstairs. He says he would also like to revive live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, expand the restaurant's services to include catering and add a kitchen and wine tasting.
"We have a beautiful facility, and we have a great venue for tasting downstairs," Richardson said.
Richardson says he would like to market the downstairs area, which few customers use. Eventually, he says, he would like to market it as a private room for parties.
Richardson added that he also plans to upgrade the quality and freshness of the food. In addition to receiving input from customers on menu changes, he has thought of adding daily hot soups and a dessert menu.
Customers will already notice that in the front room, the coffee-roasting table contains pots of Vigál coffee. That's because Vigál, a roasting company in San Jose, now roasts for the restaurant, instead of the restaurant roasting its own coffee. The old roaster, which produced a strong smell and a cloud of smoke, wasn't very popular, Richardson says.
Also, the back room will no longer feature different works of art every few months or so. Although he likes art, Richardson says, it doesn't fit into the restaurant's woodsy motif.
Richardson sanded and resurfaced the parquet floor, and says that a graphic designer is revising the look of the menu to make it more readable.
However, Richardson says, he plans to keep the restaurant "true to its original intent." Customers will find the same handcrafted bent-twig chairs; the same cases of coffee beans downstairs, even though the restaurant no longer sells them like it did a few years ago. Sayings and murals still line the walls, which Cutler painted, and even three of the same staff workers remain.
"A lot of love went into this place," Richardson said.
Although Cutler received dozens of phone calls from people who were interested in buying the business after it closed, Cutler says his mind was already set on a local person he knew. Cutler has known Richardson, a San Jose resident who coached his daughter and son in soccer, for five or six years. According to Cutler, Richardson was also one of a few people who'd expressed interest in Blue Rock Shoot over the years.
Cutler says that Richardson was a demanding coach who wasn't satisfied unless players tried their best, and that he imagines that Richardson will be the same way when running Blue Rock Shoot.
Although Richardson has never run a food service business, he has run sports camps for various sports, including soccer, baseball, basketball and field hockey.
Richardson also has experience in the food service industry. After he graduated from California Culinary Academy in San Francisco last year, he worked at The Plumed Horse, a restaurant down Big Basin Way from Blue Rock Shoot, for almost a year, as the assistant to the cellar master. Richardson's family has also owned bars in Texas.
Although Richardson has lived in Texas, Washington and Los Angeles, he has lived in San Jose most of his life. He shares a residence with a bartender at Viaggio, a restaurant across the street from Blue Rock Shoot.
Richardson says he is looking for a place in Saratoga. He already has ties to the city; years ago, he coached soccer at Saratoga High School and taught physical education classes at Saratoga elementary schools.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
