Caffe Ladro

Caffe Ladro
Founded1994; 30 years ago (1994)
FoundersJack Kelly and Bob Ohly
Headquarters
Seattle, Washington
,
United States
Websitecaffeladro.com

Caffe Ladro is a coffee shop chain and roastery in the Seattle metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Washington. Established in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood in 1994, the business operated fifteen locations as of 2017.[1]

Description

Caffe Ladro (Italian for "coffee thief")[2][3] is a Seattle-based coffee shop chain and roastery.[4] The business roasts its own coffee beans and bakes its own pastries at a central bakery.[5] The menu has included "light meals" and vegetarian options.[6] According to Moon Seattle (2019), the business is "known for high-quality coffee and consistent service".[7] The Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle has said Caffe Ladro serves "strong coffee for the strong coffee drinker".[8]

History

Caffe Ladro was founded by Jack Kelly and Bob Ohly in 1994.[9][10] In 2002 it became "the first multiple-unit chain in the country to sell 100 percent fair trade coffee".[11] There were 16 locations as of 2022,[12] and 18 locations as of 2023.[13] In addition to Seattle, the business has operated in Kirkland.[14][15]

Rachael Ray visited Caffe Ladro for a season 1 (2002) episode of $40 a Day.[16]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the business released a special blend to support the Restaurant Workers' Community Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.[17]

Reception

Caffe Ladro won in the Best Independent Coffee Shop category of Seattle Magazine's readers' choice poll in 2017.[18] Callie Craighead included the business in Seattle Post-Intelligencer's 2021 overview of Seattle's best coffee shops and wrote, "Caffe Ladro is one of Seattle's bigger local chains that still manages to hit the nail on the head for quality drinks."[19] Caffe Ladro was a finalist in the Bellevue Reporter's Bell of Bellevue list in 2021.[20] Allecia Vermillion included the business in Seattle Metropolitan's 2022 overview of a dozen "destination" coffee shops.[2] Mia Salas included Caffe Ladro in Eat This, Not That's 2023 list of "9 Coffee Shop Chains with the Best Quality Coffee in America".[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lonely Planet Seattle. Lonely Planet. 2017-04-01. ISBN 978-1-78701-027-7. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  2. ^ a b "The Best Coffee Shops in Seattle". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  3. ^ Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe. National Geographic Books. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4262-0507-1. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  4. ^ Filloon, Whitney (2015-08-27). "The 17 Most Anticipated Food Halls in the USA". Eater. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  5. ^ Lonely Planet Pocket Seattle. Lonely Planet. 2020-01-01. ISBN 978-1-78868-724-9. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  6. ^ The Pacific Northwest Rough Guides Snapshot USA (includes Washington, Seattle, Puget Sound, the Olympic Peninsula, the Cascade Mountains, Oregon and Portland). Penguin. 2012-04-12. ISBN 978-1-4093-6352-1. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  7. ^ Williams, Allison (2019-06-18). Moon Seattle. Avalon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-64049-210-3. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  8. ^ Not for Tourists Guide to Seattle:
  9. ^ "Caffe Ladro". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  10. ^ "Edmonds Restaurant News: Local ties at Caffe Ladro, bakery delights at MLT's Grand Pere". My Edmonds News. 2017-11-25. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  11. ^ Tice, Carol (July 5, 2002). "Grind larceny: Caffe Ladro, The Coffee Thief in Italian, is steadily stealing market". Puget Sound Business Journal. Vol. 23, no. 9. Seattle. p. 16.
  12. ^ Shah, Ash (November 6, 2019). "Caffe Ladro's quad-shot drinks make it worth the trip". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  13. ^ a b Salas, Mia (2023-01-09). "9 Coffee Shop Chains With the Best Quality Coffee In America". Eat This, Not That. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  14. ^ Miller, Brian (July 31, 2020). "Google pays $40M for more of Kirkland Urban". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  15. ^ Ausley, Christina (2020-07-18). "Seattle staycation: How to spend a weekend in Kirkland". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  16. ^ "Seattle, Washington". Food Network. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  17. ^ Ausley, Christina (2020-05-22). "Kirkland, epicenter of novel coronavirus, makes positive changes". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  18. ^ "Here Are the Winners of Our Best Restaurants Readers' Choice Poll". Seattle Magazine. 2022-07-08. Archived from the original on 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  19. ^ Craighead, Callie (2021-09-29). "National Coffee Day 2021: Seattle's best coffee shops, roasters". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  20. ^ "Best of Bellevue 2021 winners". Bellevue Reporter. 2021-06-14. Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caffe Ladro.