Coffee Battle Brewing For Turlock Family-Owned Café

TURLOCK (CBS13) — A family-owned coffee shop in Turlock has managed to stay in business during the coronavirus.

Only just as restrictions are lifting, they say they will likely be forced to close. Allison's Cafe suddenly has two national chain coffee shops moving in right next to them.

It is a grind that this family has grown to love. Alison's Cafe is run by Alison Mikhaeilian.

"I'm so social," Mikhaeilian said. "I like to have a conversation with people."

Her three daughters also help. The family-owned coffee shop offers a unique blend of caffeinated and colorful drinks.

"This is what we wake up every day, being so passionate about," daughter Nina Babazadeh said.

Now, a year into their COVID-19 survival, there's a new concern they fear could close their small business down for good: the one-two punch of big chain competition.

"I think we survived COVID because we were all in this together," Babazadeh said. "But I don't think we can fight, having two chain coffee shops not even one block down, but across the street."

A Dutch Bros. and a Starbucks are moving in right across the street from their small coffee shop. The walls of the new Starbucks just went up.

"And I just saw them last night," Babazadeh said. "And I just got a tear in my eyes. I was like 'this is it...we're done.'"

Two thousand loyal customers signed a petition to stop the Starbucks development in October, but the signature drive took place after the city had already approved the plan.

A city spokesperson told the Turlock Journal both chain coffee shops fit the zoning ordinances for their locations.

"I think that's going to end us, the two chain coffee shops too close to us," Babazadeh said.

Just as this cafe sipped the success of surviving COVID restrictions, the next bitter struggle begins. A double shot of big chains. The coffee battle is brewing.