Red Lantern Bicycles’ Cafe Is Changing Hands, Will Begin New Menu Roll-Out On July 1

Brace yourselves: the cafe at Red Lantern Bicycles is changing hands as of next Wednesday, July 1, and the last day of sales — aka the last day you can get your favorite coffees, lattes, vegan milks, and sandwiches, at least for now — is this Sunday, June 28.

Monday and Tuesday, June 29-30, may also serve as a garage sale day, with various food items and knick knacks that can’t go into storage being sold to anyone who wants a memento of the cafe to take home.

“We’re keeping almost all of our equipment and looking at new spaces,” said outgoing cafe manager Bradford Still, who began overseeing the space three years ago along with friend and fellow coffee & nut milk entrepreneur Collin Crockett, who manages their Bushwick cafe space, Trans Am Cafe, at 915 Wyckoff Avenue.

“I’m taking a few weeks to focus on the Bushwick store and we’re going to try really hard to get back to Fort Greene. I was first looking to transition right away, but now we’re hoping to be back in about one to two months, depending on money,” said Still. “We really appreciate the love and look forward to seeing you all again!”

Among the potential new spaces Still is considering are Dick and Jane’s Bar (266 Adelphi Street, off Lafayette Avenue) and Lola’s (387 Myrtle Avenue, between Clermont and Vanderbilt) — Dick and Jane’s for the cool space and Lola’s for the kitchen prep space. Things are not 100 percent, but Still told us he’s hoping to have details hammered out by the end of July, “maybe a little earlier.”

Wherever he ends up next, Still said he “will try to use what worked at Red Lantern and improve, as well. I learned a lot in how to do things the next time.”

The Red Lantern cafe will remain open, though, under the management of Red Lantern Bikes owner Brian Gluck and his team, which includes both a bar manager and a cafe/food manager.

According to Gluck, the arrival of Starbucks a couple of blocks away at 394 Myrtle Avenue was one catalyst for the change — which has been a couple of months in the making, with word getting out over the past several weeks that there would be a new menu.

“So we will still have a full service coffee and espresso menu, but will have a little more food, brunch on the weekends, and a little bit more on the bar side in terms of mixed drinks and expanding the drinks menu,” Gluck explained. “We’ll be using the beer and wine license in a more creative way with mimosas and sake bloody marys.”

Also changing will be the decor. “In terms of consistency and quality. the layout will be a little bit more cohesive than what it is now,” added Gluck, who noted that the transition will “organically grow into itself” and that “it’s not going to become bougie. We’re staying DIY and organically grown, just with more options.”

Long-time cafe customer Leila Boukassi said she is going to miss her “favorite place to get work done, where I go to pick things up at the end of the day, and the atmosphere that was exactly what I felt my neighborhood spot should feel like. Of course I’ll try the new place. But I can’t imagine it’ll be the same.”

Boukassi admitted that she “felt really sad [when she first heard], even more so than I expected to. The cafe has really become a part of my life. I hope that they’re able to continue to live on in some other form. The coffee is the best i’ve ever had. It’s ruined me for other coffees! I’ll miss the vegan and vegetarian options, the milk, and the incredible atmosphere.”