I have a lot of meetings over coffee. My favorite place in Buckhead to meet someone is not Starbucks. My Shiny Penny this week is The Lodge.

Actually, I don’t drink coffee during the day, only my required giant mug in the morning. But, I do meet a lot of people for “coffee.” My issues

with Starbucks and Caribou Coffee are twofold: they are too loud and there is no privacy.

On April Fools Day this year, I got an email from RedBox that promoted “PetBox.” I loved it! What a clever way to get me talking about their product! Of course it was just a silly promotion but it actually endeared the company to me because I am a huge animal lover.

Frequently, when I am meeting with a client or a potential client, we are discussing their business – their frustrations as well as their goals. The Lodge provides a quiet, private atmosphere that feels like a lodge on a mountain. There is a variety of seating from comfortable sofas and chairs to tables and booths. In the wintertime there is a huge fireplace that adds to the “lodgy” feel. The important thing to me about the seating is that you are not sitting on top of each other where everyone can hear your entire conversation.

Also, you can sit far enough away from the espresso machine that you can continue talking while they make coffee. You don’t have to wait for the load roar of the machine to stop before you finish your sentence.

One of our clients has a company that focuses on helping their clients use humor effectively. We wrote a white paper for them that dives deep into using humor effectively and investigating the fine line that is easy to cross to make something just plain stupid or even offensive.

The building was built as the youth lounge for Peachtree Presbyterian Church and has classrooms and two auditoriums that are used for the youth. The Lodge is a full cafe where you can order lunch as well as coffee or tea. Even though, I don’t attend this church, I like that my purchases go toward keeping the building and programs going for teenagers.

Where is The Lodge? Right in the heart of Buckhead, across from the church. Be sure to check it out next time you need to meet someone for “coffee.”

3417 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30305

Monday-Friday: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm

http://www.peachtreepres.org/lodge/Default.htm