New Rising Sun Cafe, located at the Ardsley Train Station (2617 Jenkintown Road in Glenside), has been under new ownership since April.
John Gerlach, a Roslyn resident and a Northeast Philly native (above left), said he purchased the eatery with his partner, Mike Coleman (above right), after joining the cafe’s staff in December. Since last October, New Rising Sun had been owned by Glenside native Rob Mooney who took over after On The Right Track Cafe departed.
Gerlach said he has worked for various local food-centric outfits over the past seven years, including Fill A Bagel of Jenkintown, Spread Bagelry of Ambler, and the Clean Plate Food Truck of Glenside.
Coleman, a recent Glenside transplant, previously worked in food service operations for the local nonprofit Caring for Friends. He heads the business side of the operation, including financial coordination, LLC compliance, licensing, and day-to-day fiscal management.
“I have dedicated my life to community through empowerment and service. My commitment to leadership and local engagement is rooted in deep community ties,” Coleman said. “Today, my mission is to help create inclusive environments and lasting positive outcomes within the neighborhood. By combining our strengths, we keep the shop running smoothly for the families in our neighborhood and beyond.”
The two have been friends since roughly 2011 through working for the Boy Scouts in the Poconos. Their first order of business was to revamp the space as a focaccia cafe.
“We have a brand new countertop, we have cozy couches and coffee tables, a bar top along the window, and we brought in an espresso machine,” Gerlach said. “We painted and decorated the interior throughout. It’s beautiful and stunning now.”
“Mike is the business brain and I’m the daily ops. He makes sure the customers are taken care of, that we have enough in stock, things like that,” he said.
As word has spread, the partnership has seen a steady stream of new faces over the past six months.
“We’ve been seeing tons of new customers. We have roughly 60 percent regulars and about 40 percent are new on a daily basis,” he said. “They’re loving the new food. All of our sandwiches are served with focaccia. We make our bread and pastries in-house and we carry Rival Bros. Coffee. A lot of their staff lives in Glenside which is awesome.”
“It’s been great reconnecting with Mike. Now our four-year-olds are best friends,” he said. “New Rising Sun has been about starting new friendships and rekindling old ones. We’d love to keep growing. We may look into other locations down the road. For now, we’d love to take part in any community events where we can be helpful.”
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday from 6:30am-2:30pm
For more on New Rising Sun Cafe, you can visit their Instagram page.
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