On Weddings & Smoking

Let me introduce myself. My name is Amy and I work at Tobacco Road as a hostess. I also help the Amra boys with advertising and marketing for Tobacco Road. In addition, as of next month, I’ll be the newest member of the Amra family. I am engaged to Rommie Amra, the youngest (and also the handsomest, kindest, etc.—but that is for another post) of the Amra brothers.

Given the recent opening of Tobacco Road and the impending nuptials it has been a stressful time for all of us, but for me there has been a common theme. Compromise. Or, really, the complete inability to make everyone happy no matter how hard you try. As wedding planning and online commentary on Tobacco Road escalate this week I can’t help but ask myself—which is more challenging: a) Trying to plan a multicultural wedding in such a way that both families are happy or b) Trying to open a non-smoking restaurant called Tobacco Road in the heart of tobacco country in such a way that smokers and non-smokers are happy. The jury is still out.

But, communication is always the key to compromise, right? And I feel partly to blame for not previously doing a better job of communicating on this subject. So, let me try to clarify a few things, divided into the following topics and actual steps that led to the decision to be a non-smoking restaurant and bar.
· Step 1: The Name
· Step 2: The Logo
· Step 3: The Poll

I know that this explanation certainly won't silence the critics. That is not the goal. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It is just that, an explanation.

Step 1: The Name

This one is pretty easy. Many months ago the boys (Amra brothers) were enthusiastically throwing out name ideas for the new restaurant that they were planning to open on Glenwood in downtown Raleigh. Let’s just say that many lame name ideas thankfully bit the dust. Then one of them suggested Tobacco Road Sports Café (Rommie claims it was his idea). It struck a chord with all of them and it was agreed upon. The fact that the three of them agreed upon something with little debate is not to be taken lightly and called for post-haste development of a logo before one of them realized that they had all agreed upon something with no argument.

I remember that when they told me about the name I liked the sound of it but didn’t know what it meant. Rommie explained that Tobacco Road is a term usually used to describe the incredible college sports (and basketball specifically) tradition in North Carolina, with the Tobacco Road universities being Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State and Wake Forest.

The name signifies two important things to us: a focus on sports and, more importantly, a passion for sports in North Carolina. When we think Tobacco Road we think of amazing young athletes and die-hard North Carolina fans.

Step 2: The Logo

With that said about the name, we then needed to create a logo. We hired Jon Cain, a freelance designer with extensive logo design experience, to create our logo. We DID suggest putting Tobacco Leaves in the logo, although it wasn’t a requirement. Why? Because the tobacco industry played a large part in enabling our state to establish some of the best universities in the country. Jon was asked to design a logo that conveyed a balance between the traditions and energy associated with Tobacco Road sports.

Thus, a logo was born. Actually, there were many versions prior to the winner. I think he did a great job. I tend to lean towards very simple and, quite frankly, pretty boring logo designs but this logo was just what we wanted and, I think, needed. At the very least it has sparked some healthy debate.

Step 3: The Poll

So, with a name and a logo we could start getting the word out about the Tobacco Road Sports Café concept. We started this blog and also sent an email campaign to the Amra’s email subscriber list asking them if they’d like to opt-in to a Tobacco Road email list. Over 300 people opted in right away.

At this point construction was already underway and the guys brought up the possibility of making the restaurant non-smoking. It is certainly a risky move in tobacco country. So, we decided to post a poll on our blog and we sent an email to the 300+ Tobacco Road email list subscribers. We left the poll open for a few weeks and the results were clear. Over 80% voted for non-smoking in both the bar and main dining room.

I saw a commenter on another blog suggest that the poll was rigged. While I understand that consumers can be a bit jaded, the suggestion is ridiculous and insulting, to be quite honest. If anything, we were leaning towards smoking because it certainly is the “safer” option.
In conclusion, we are happy that Tobacco Road is a place where our guests and employees can enjoy a smoke-free atmosphere.

Our Website is Finally Up!

Check it out at tobaccoroadsportscafe.com. Huge thank you to David Link, the NCSU Design School student that created our temporary site, our new site and the graphics for our blog. Thanks so much for your creativity and your patience. Another thank you to Karen Crowe, a server at Tobacco Road that is also a photographer. Karen took some quick interior shots for us that allowed us to finally get the site up. We'll try to get some more photos, including some food shots, in the coming weeks and get them on the site.

Note on Free Parking
There is a parking garage directly behind our building with plenty of spaces. Just ask your server or the hostess for a token to exit the garage for free.

New Year's Eve
We will definitely be open on New Year's Eve, so stop by, say hello and check out Tobacco Road. There is no cover, no dress code and we will be serving food until 2 a.m. (as with every other night).

ESPN's Mike Tirico at Tobacco Road This Tuesday

Don't miss ESPN's Mike Tirico, in Raleigh on Tuesday, Jan. 6, broadcasting live from the 99.9 "The Fan" remote broadcast studio located at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe. The live show starts at 1 p.m. and runs until 3 p.m.

Check out the Tobacco Road Sports Cafe Menu

First off, I'd like to apologize for not posting updates more often. We have all been pretty busy, although that is still no excuse--nothing is more annoying than yet another blog that never seems to be updated. We promise to be better moving forward.

The good news is that the hard work is paying off and we are very close to opening. Our website is receiving the final touches and will include photos of the interior and a few shots of menu items. Speaking of our menu, we are proud to provide a preview here. Click here to download a printable version.

This menu was created by our executive chef, Juan Esparza and features some North Carolina favorites including Sweet Potato Fries, a BBQ sandwich and Cheddar Grits--as well as some fresh alternatives including numerous vegetarian items such as Cabbage Rolls, Jumbo Black Eyed Pea Cakes and our Hurricane Tomato Sandwich. Many of our menu items are made with North Carolina products, seafood and produce. Let us know what you think of the menu. Of course, we hope that you'll come in and try it for yourself.