Upcoming events
- Town and Country Kafe will host its first poetry night from 4-6 p.m. March 7.
- Bulldog British Classics Car Club plans to host a car meet at 11:30 a.m. May 17, where club members will park old and new cars in a nearby field and eat at the restaurant.
Co-owner Willie Torres said Town and Country Kafe has found success in its first year despite challenges since its grand opening.
Torres and his wife Amy Delfin-Torres opened the Crawford restaurant, also known as TCK, on Feb. 29, 2024. Without any restaurant business background, they’ve persevered through marketing and management challenges.
“We are almost where we want to be,” Torres said. “There is still a lot to learn business wise, food wise, marketing wise.”
Town and Country Kafe’s primary obstacle has been advertising.
Although the business has more than 1,400 followers on Facebook and 117 Google reviews, the foot traffic and sales don’t reflect that, Torres said.
Another limitation is TCK isn’t located on a main road but on Callaway Drive off of Oglethorpe Drive.
Bulldog British Classics Car Club founder Terry Allen and event planner Rob Stewart said they discovered the restaurant online while in search for a local lunch spot. They fell in love with the local atmosphere and Torres’s hospitality.
“I found this place on Google Maps,” Stewart said. “I didn’t know it was there. Most people don’t. I said, ‘Why don’t we meet there?’ Ever since, we’ve just kept coming back, because (Torres) is very hospitable.”
Torres said they’ve also faced struggles operating a large staff in the small building. The crowded kitchen and coffee bar interfered with the efficient workflow of the cafe. He found that a smaller staff was the solution and decided to downsize two weeks after the grand opening.
The current staff includes Torres, barista and cashier, and Amy Delfin-Torres as chef, as well as two part-time employees.
“I feel that my wife and I, we work very well as a team,” Torres said. “When you have a small business, you should have a small staff. We were in each other's way.”
Torres said one of TCK’s most successful practices has been hosting events, including live performances, car shows and rehearsal dinners.
TCK’s Got Talent is the cafe’s live music events with Torres favoring younger, undiscovered talent like Jesse Chambers, a guitarist at Oglethorpe County High School and frequent TCK performer.
Despite the success of TCK’s Got Talent, their third live performance with a 10-year-old mariachi musician, had no turnout. The boy still had fun playing for his mother and the TCK staff.
Torres hopes to bring the mariachi performer back to TCK’s Got Talent to perform with a larger audience.
“He had a great time,” Torres said. “We promoted it for two weeks, but nobody showed up. The kid was amazing.”