Iconic downtown SLO coffee shop opening new bodega stand — right in Mission Plaza
One of San Luis Obispo’s most-beloved coffee institutions is opening a new bodega stand right in the heart of downtown.
Linnaea’s Coffee has been confirmed as the vendor in charge of the incoming stand at the newly renovated Mission Plaza once it reopens later this year.
Owners Alex and Rusty Quirk said that since acquiring the decades-old business in 2023, they’ve been hoping to branch out to other ventures.
And with their East Coast ties — the couple lived in New York for a number of years before returning to SLO — a bodega felt like a perfect fit.
“We were actually looking for a space before this came up, to do something called Slodega,” Rusty Quirk said. “We thought kind of a bodega feel, but really focused on local produce, local coffee — continuing that hospitality of welcoming people into the space to stay and enjoy. That’s what we try to do.”
So when the opportunity to take over the new refreshment kiosk in Mission Plaza came up, it seemed like the perfect fit.
“It’s something we’re really excited about,” Rusty said. “Especially through running this restaurant and everything, we’ve just become so invested in the well-being of this town.”
The Quirks’ investment in downtown hasn’t been ignored either.
At the Downtown SLO association’s recent State of the Downtown event, the husband and wife were given the organization’s new “Outstanding Business Award.”
“This is where we live,” Rusty said of the pair’s commitment to the area. “We want every shop to be full, and we want it to be a thriving town that people don’t just visit as a tourist, but live in and spend their lives. So any way we can contribute to that is like a positive for us.”
What’s on the menu?
The new kiosk will feature a similar menu to Linnaea’s, with some small differences, the Quirks said.
“Being in the Mission and being part of a historic landmark — being close to the history museum and the art museum — we really want to play on a lot of local flavors and history,” Alex said. “A little bit, embrace the kitschy touristy vibe.”
According to Rusty, the new menu will heavily draw on the bodega vibe, with plenty of grab-and-go options like a deli, seasonal salads, macaroni and tuna salads and “girl dinner” offerings like cheese and crackers and tin fish.
They’ll also have a signature bacon, egg and cheese on biscuits made in-house at Linnaea’s bakery, she said, plus plans to feature dishes from other local chefs.
As for coffee, Rusty said they’ll be focusing on “drinks that are inspired by the local area.”
“We do a honey orange blossom latte here that we’d like to kind of add on to,” she said. “Maybe some candy honeycomb pieces and some whole comb — something to make it special for that location.”
“A couple of drinks there that are really unique to SLO,” she added.
Linnaea’s owners also opening new downtown SLO bakery
Interestingly enough, Slodega isn’t the only new business venture for the Quirks this year.
At the same time as they’ve been developing the new Mission Plaza spot, they’ve also been working to get their new bakery up and running.
Starting Saturday, Villain Bakery at 722 Marsh St. will begin hosting sporadic pop-ups each month selling some of the coffee shop’s most-beloved baked goods plus other new offerings.
“There’s just a lot of pastry we can’t reasonably pull off here,” Rusty said. “So we’ll be able to do things like sell loaves of bread, do kind of garnish, multi-layer, fun pastries that also wouldn’t fit the retro vibe over here.”
That’s particularly exciting for Rusty, whose background is in pastry, she said.
“It’s been a little frustrating not being able to portray that here, just based on our limitations,” she added.
Alex said the bakery has actually been in the couple’s hopper for longer, but upon finding out about the opportunity for the Mission Plaza stand, they chose to prioritize the latter.
“It’s kind of like we’re leapfrogging between the two locations in terms of what we’re developing and how we’re planning,” he said.
Now Slodega is expected to open sometime in summer, they said, while a full opening of Villain Bakery will take a bit longer.
The Quirks said ultimately they are looking forward to running three full-fledged businesses catering to different parts of downtown San Luis Obispo.
“It’s three completely different concepts, three different names, three different businesses that I think the passerby wouldn’t know that they’re related, but behind the scenes, they’re all completely one — seamless,” Alex said. “They’re all working together. Three heads of the same dragon.”
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