NoRa News

July 29, 2024

After five years, we are securing a new lease and decided that now is the time for some changes at NoRa.  We will be rolling out a number of changes that will impact and improve many aspects of your experience at NoRa over the next few weeks.  We are working on even more changes to be implemented before the end of the calendar year and will reveal those later.

 

NoRa COMMUNITY HOUSE

As we start a new phase at NoRa, we want to provide another option for our community to get together.  We are launching our newest initiative called NoRa's Community House.  It's purpose will be to provide an evening space for people to gather for fun, education and relaxation.  We will be rolling the Community House in phases during the next several weeks focused on testing different activities and themes on different nights.

While the goal is to have a NoRa Community House event every night of the week and to expand our hours in the evening, we will be limiting our tests to two days a week over the next several weeks so we can see how things go and make changes as needed to make this the best experience for our customers. 

NOTE:  This does mean that our hours of operation will be different depending on whether or not we are hosting a Community House event or not.  Moving forward, all Community House events will normally be scheduled from 5 pm to 10 pm. On days there is a Community House evening event, we will be closing NoRa Café either at 3:30 pm or 4 pm depending on that evening's activity and the amount of time will be needed for setup.  Please check the website for any changes to hours for that day.

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE COMMUNITY HOUSE

THIS WEEK'S EVENTS

WEDNESDAY JULY 31st, COFFEEOLOGY BY CARRBORO

The first Community House event is Coffeeology by Carrboro Coffee on Wednesday July 31st.  Lane Mitchell from Carrboro Coffee Roasters will be presenting information sessions twice during the night on understanding the different varieties, roasting processes and processes for making different types of drinks.  In addition, there will be a tasting for those who register to have a guided experience to the differences in several of the varieties offered.  If you'd like to register for the tasting, please visit the Community House events page at www.noracafenc.com.  All people who register for the tasting will be eligible for discounts on drinks and 25% off any retail bags of coffee purchased during the event.

NoRa will also be serving a variety of pour overs during the night to offer people the chance to experience the differences based upon location and roasting approach.  Lane Mitchell will be available to answer any questions you may have during this caffeine-fueled event.

 

FRIDAY AUGUST 2nd, STORYTIME WITH NoRa

NoRa is looking to dedicate at least one evening each week focused on kids or family fun.  This week we will be launching our Family Friday nights with Storytime and Steamers.  Join us for stories read by volunteers throughout the evening between 6 pm and 9 pm.  All hot chocolates and steamers will be half off during the event. 

 

NoRa will also have a variety of children books for kids to choose from to take home as a free gift. 

 

NEXT WEEK IS GAME WEEK

MONDAY AUGUST 5th, CASUAL GAME NIGHT

NoRa will have a variety of games out for people to come and play.  Come and bring friends and find a game or two to play or come and meet some new friends over some old classics.  All participants joining and getting a drink during the event will receive a coupon for a discount on their next drink at NoRa. 

 

SATURDAY AUGUST 10th, COMPETITION GAME NIGHT

Periodically, we will hold competition game night where the them will be a single game that people will play during the course of the night.  We are planning for an UNO competition for this test night.  There will be a format for the competition so check the website for details on how to sign-up.  Winners will receive gift card prizes.

 

 

NoRa COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT PROGRAM

NoRa is introducing a NoRa Community membership program.   This is geared to our regulars who visit NoRa often.  For a monthly fee, customers can join the NoRa Community Membership at different levels.  Each level provides a variety of discounts on all NoRa-made items including lattes, coffees, teas, chai teas and breakfast sandwiches.   These discounts will be automatically applied to your order as long as you make sure your order is connected to your loyalty account.  We will be piloting this program to a small group of customers and then will be offering discounted memberships to charter members.  If you are interested in joining the pilot in excange for feedback on the experience, please send an e-mail to community@noracafenc.com with your name and contact information and we will follow-up.

 

MENU ADJUSTMENTS

We are adjusting our menu in several ways.  First, we have listened to our customers as well as seen what other local coffee shops are offering and decided to add a 12 ounce version of many of our drinks including all of our specialty lattes, chai tea and matcha latte. 

 

We are also adjusting our prices to take into the account the increases in supplies, cost of goods, labor and an unexpected increase in rent of over 40%.  Given that our last price adjustment for the NoRa-made items occurred back in October of 2020 during the pandemic, our margins had significantly shrank and sometimes disappeared completely on many of our items.  In order to continue to pay our wonderful staff and our not-quite-as-wonderful landlord, we are introducing new prices on almost all of NoRa's items.  The prices will become effective August 1st.  You can view the new menu online at NoRa's website. 

 

We do want to point out that we have compared our new prices with seven local coffee shops and are still less than their prices on similar items in almost all cases.  We hope you appreciate the value and the quality experience you have and continue to receive at NoRa.

 

We welcome any feedback you may have and ask that you share any thoughts with us through our e-mail info@noracafenc.com. 

 

Best regards,

 

Matt and Colleen