BY BROGAN SCOTCH
Kay’s Daily Grind is the latest restaurant venture for the Woehrle family, owners and operators of well-known Kay’s Italian Restaurant in Covington Twp.
Head manager Casey Woehrle-Shaffer always wanted her family to start a cafe. Her father, Walter Woehrle, owner, has been in charge of the family business since he bought Kay’s Italian Restaurant from his mother over 30 years ago. Woehrle-Shaffer felt the area was ready for a cafe, and together with her father, they opened Kay’s Daily Grind on April 4, 2018.
Good coffee always requires good beans, and the Woehrles knew they were going to have to find the best in the area to match the quality of their food. After searching for the best local beans, they decided on Throop-based Electric City Roasting Co.
“Their coffee is the best. It’s amazing,” Woehrle-Shaffer said.
Those beans are the secret behind the fresh coffee and espresso-based drinks at Kay’s Daily Grind. Customers can order from a full list of everyone’s favorites, such as hot or iced lattes and cappuccinos, macchiatos and Americanos. Chai tea and matcha lattes are available, as are ice cream-based and dairy-free smoothies and protein shakes across a variety of flavors. As a healthy option, Woehrle-Shaffer created the Green Goddess Smoothie, which contains spinach, kale, bananas, pineapple and apples.
For breakfast, the Daily Grind offers several sandwiches and wraps. Woehrle-Shaffer’s best-seller is the Morning Grind, which combines cream cheese, egg, tomato, bacon and avocado on toasted ciabatta. Customers also enjoy the Healthy Alternative, a sandwich comprised of avocado, roasted red pepper, egg whites and feta cheese housed within an English muffin.
For lunch or dinner, the go-to sandwich is the Turkey BLT, but the Daily Grind offers a wide selection of other items to satisfy any mood, including daily soups and fresh salads. Customers can enjoy a classic grilled cheese sandwich, or they can opt for something more elaborate, such as the Avocado Toast, which takes a choice of bread and tops it with sliced avocado, fresh mozzarella, basil, cherry tomatoes and balsamic glaze. For those who cannot decide among soups, salads or sandwiches, combo options are available that give the customer half portions of two items of their choosing.
JAKE DANNA STEVENS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kay’s Daily Grinds strawberry field salad
A visit to Kay’s Daily Grind would not be complete without trying some of its signature baked goods.
“They’re all amazing, and they’re all homemade,” Woehrle-Shaffer said. They offer goodies such as cake pops, muffins, scones and even healthier choices like their Protein Balls. Giving customers healthy options, even for dessert, is important to Woehrle-Shaffer, a certified personal trainer.
Woehrle-Shaffer grew up working in the busy environment of Kay’s Italian Restaurant, but with the inclusion of a drive-thru window at Kay’s Daily Grind, she is experiencing a new kind of busy.
“Here, everything has to be faster,” Woehrle-Shaffer said. “We’re making all the sandwiches fresh. Everything’s fresh.”
She takes pride in offering such an extensive menu to customers with the added convenience of a drive-thru window.
“I don’t think our business would be what it is without it,” she said.
Woehrle-Shaffer cares about the community that has been so accepting of her family’s business throughout the years. She wants Kay’s Daily Grind to be a place where people can be comfortable, productive and express themselves. She offers free open mic nights for local musicians and artists as well as free, kid-friendly movie nights on Saturdays with free popcorn. The months of November and December have featured Harry Potter-themed movie nights, and Woehrle-Shaffer said fans can enjoy the movies while sipping a butterbeer-flavored drink. She also offers free pictures with Santa around Christmastime. The Daily Grind can be a place for students and writers to get some work done, too.
“A lot of people come here and make this their office,” Woehrle-Shaffer said. “There are people having meetings, doing work. Someone could come in and write a book and we could be a part of that history.”
Woehrle-Shaffer said both of her family’s restaurants are a labor of love.
“It’s really special to me. My grandma started in the ’70s, and my dad really prepared me for it,” she said. “I hope to pass it on to my children someday.”
Contact the writer: bscotch@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127
Kay’s Daily Grind
- Address: 484 Daleville Highway, Covington Twp.
- Phone: 570-843-6271
- Established: April 4, 2018
- Owner: Walter Woehrle
- Cuisine: Healthy fast food, cafe-style
- Hours: Daily, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Online: Visit Kay’s Daily Grind on Facebook and Instagram or at kaysdailygrind.org.
