Motor Oil Coffee

This was not the post we thought we would have to write, but we always try to do right by our patrons and customers first and foremost to give you the full story. As you may know, in early June of this year, we decided to do a pause in our retail operations to realign with economic expectations and streamline processes. This resulted in the suspension of service of each of our Albany cafes, located at State Street, Slip 12, and Madison Avenue, respectively. In that time, we have reopened State Street and Slip 12 - both have reopened with strong returns - with the intention of reopening the Pine Hills location in time for the Upper Madison Street Fair (along with beer, wine, cider, and mead on-site). Our Pine Hills location, during this time, had been used for our events team to set up for the variety of markets and festivals we go to. The location, which opened in June 2023, has witnessed the closure of CVS, the Madison Theater, and the College of St. Rose - all within this year. As we made note in December of last year, we had intended to weather the "storm" for the sake of the neighborhood. However, despite the best intended plans, this was not meant to be unfortunately. Late last month, we vacated 1034 Madison Avenue per an immediate vacate request from the building's longtime owner in order to lease the space to what we believe to be a smoke shop / hookah lounge. For context on their ability to require us to vacate the premises immediately: back in November, just prior to the College of St. Rose closure announcement, we renegotiated our original three-year lease with the landlord to a month-to-month lease which reduced the lease rate, but with the stipulation that they would continue to market the space and should they find a new lessee, we would need to surrender premises. It was also our hope that a new property owner would provide a much-needed boost to the theater complex, including reopening the theater. That hope still seems to be too far off into the future. Although this is not the news we wanted to share, we wanted to give you the full story to dispel any misinformation - given the location has been home to too many coffee shops and cafes to count. We look forward to being back in the Pine Hills neighborhood for the Upper Madison Street Fair and will continue to explore new opportunities as they may arise. And as always, you can get a great cup of coffee or espresso from our State Street location, or coffee or a cocktail at Slip 12. #RevUpForMO

We have issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for marketing, social media, and advertising services for Motor Oil Coffee.?The due date is Wednesday, August 7 at 8 p.m. EST. Agencies and individuals are invited to bid on this opportunity. Geographic location for the agency and individual will not limit the bidder's opportunity. This RFP covers social and digital media, as well as advertising strategy. Public relations and public affairs are not included in this opportunity. If you have any questions, e-mail [email protected]. #RevUpForMO

Yes, Albany, it is true - we are reopening After our extended one month pause, we are reopening Albany State Street and Albany Slip 12 on Wednesday, July 17 with some new items and a refreshed look at both cafes. Albany Pine Hills will remain open only for events. Hours of operation will be as follows: Albany State Street: - Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Closed Saturday and Sunday Albany Slip 12: - Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. - Closed Monday We look forward to welcoming you back - and we appreciate your caring messages after vandalism at Albany State Street. It is deeply appreciated by the entire team. Let's get ready to rev up again with MO. Together. Forever. #RevUpForMO #Coffee #Espresso

Last week, our team was working hard to get our Albany State Street location ready for reopening - a deep clean, with upgrades and a new layout in store, especially with the three-week pause. In the words of our events lead Christine, "the place smelled so good." And then this happened. Two days before reopening. We are assessing the situation, but it is exhaustively heartbreaking that on a Sunday, instead of preparing for the week, we now have to file reports, and inventory what may have been stolen or damaged. Due the extensiveness of the situation to the front doors, we will need to postpone our Tuesday reopening. In the 15 months we've operated Albany State Street, we haven't had a single incident (Albany Pine Hills is a different story). Small businesses, along with their workers, have a hard enough time out there - this was not needed. We will keep you posted on the new reopening date and on the rest of our reopening plans this week. We'll get through this. And as always, rev up for MO. #RevUpForMO #ComeOnAlbany

Missed us yet? We've missed you, too. Over the past three weeks since we announced the pause, we have engaged in meaningful discussions on creating a better guest experience and ultimately, strengthening who we are as a brand. Motor Oil Coffee wasn't built in a day, but it sure felt like that over the past year - where we opened cafes at record-speed. In that time, we recognized the constraints and resource limitations that may have resulted in a visit or an experience that did not meet the mark for you, our guests. Starting next week, we will begin to resume cafe service - starting with Albany State Street on Tuesday, July 9. This will be followed by Albany Slip 12 later in July. Albany Pine Hills will remain suspended for cafe service and will be utilized for event preparation for at least the month of July, given there are further repairs and modifications that need to be addressed in order to meet the level of good repair we expect. Our light fare options will change as well, with new products to be introduced, along with new bakery items. Hours of operation will be modified as well, with Albany State Street to be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Albany Slip 12 Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The hours for Fuel & Spirits: The Slip 12 Bar will remain the same. We appreciate your support of Motor Oil Coffee so far and we look forward to serving you in one of our cafes again very soon. Stay tuned on reopening dates. #RevUpForMO

?? AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ?? Starting Thursday, June 13, all cafe operations will pause through at least the end of June in order for us to do a "summer reset". Our State Street and Madison Avenue locations will be closed during this time, while our Slip 12 location will remain open only for bar operations (Fuel & Spirits). We will remain at the farmers markets and festivals as agreed upon and as scheduled, including the Saratoga Jazz Festival at SPAC. This reset allows for us to fully restock all supplies, make modifications to our light fare offerings, retrain staff, deep clean our cafes, and better align our operations for a stronger guest experience. We also anticipate reopening Madison Avenue with beer, wine, cider, and mead as well - so get ready for that. We've heard you and we want to do right by you. Upon reopening in a couple of weeks, we will launch with limited summer hours that we will post in advance before returning to full service sometime in the fall. We know this may be disruptive to your morning or afternoon routine - but in order for us to grow as a brand, as a company, and ultimately, to provide a much better experience that we can be proud of, we need the time to do it right. In the meantime, Fuel & Spirits will remain open as advertised. Thank you and see you soon. And as always, rev up for MO. #RevUpForMO