The soft sunlight shines in through the window illuminating the mouthwatering meal in front of you. The steam softly clouds up the area above your mug containing the hot drink of your choice, and your eyes move to scan the wall around you lined with delicately painted pictures. Your ears are filled with the soft chatter of your fellow customers as you take and savor the first bite of your food. This is an experience that you may likely have if you decide to dine at The Broad Street Grind located in Souderton, PA.

“…The environment is comfortable and you can stay for a while and drink your coffee and work on (your) things.” This is how Pennridge senior, Jayne Lafty, described her time at The Broad Street Grind, which perfectly paralleled my personal experience. This comforting atmosphere the cafe encapsulates is what initially drew Carly Leavy, a Broad Street Grind employee, to work there. “I walked into that shop and I knew I had to work there. The atmosphere is very calming and a warm place to stay in. The blue tones with dark brown woods make this place such a lovely place to drink a cup of coffee. The workers in the front always have a smile and are such wonderful souls who are there to help you. The atmosphere is homey to me.”

While it may be the atmosphere that initially draws in customers and workers alike, it is no doubt that the versatility and mouth-watering assortment of items on their menu is what encourages them to stay. According to Leavy, “The food that was ordered most was either the butternut bean burrito or a breakfast sandwich on a bagel.” When I tried the Maple Bacon breakfast sandwich on a bagel, I could understand why their breakfast sandwiches were so popular. The flavors were rich, which is coincidentally what customers would have to have in order to eat there regularly.

A major criticism of The Broad Street Grind is the prices they place on their items, which many customers deem to be considerably high. For example, most of their breakfast sandwiches are priced at about $14, including my own, which many internet reviewers think to be a high price to pay for what they consider a casual meal. This is a notion I would have to agree with. These prices, however, are most likely a result of the locally sourced and fresh ingredients used in their food. Locally grown foods tend to be stocked full of nutrition whereas others are lacking due to the shortened time between its harvest and its consumption. This shortened time period also reduces the risk of contamination of the food, making for a safer food supply. There are also many environmental benefits such as cutting down the carbon emissions from the vehicles used to transport the food and allowing for the increase of farmland and green open space in the community. The most obvious benefit, however, is the positive impact that locally sourced food has on the local economy. The Broad Street Grind also serves all of its sandwiches on gluten-free bread and offers a variety of vegetarian and completely gluten-free items. For many customers, myself included, the expenses are well justified. But understandably for some, paying a high price for a more casual meal or drink isn’t quite their cup of tea.

The Broad Street Grind was established in order to better and enhance the local community, as seen through their promotion of locally sourced food. They prioritize creating a place where people can meet one another, experience healthy menu choices, and promote an aesthetic and comforting environment to get work done or to relax. I thoroughly recommend The Broad Street Grind to any breakfast lover or coffee connoisseur who is willing to spend a bit of extra money for a locally grown experience.