A staple for comfort food in downtown Kissimmee, in the shadow of the Osceola County Courthouse, is officially back open with a (slightly) new name but with all the charm it’s had since originally opening 20 years ago.
Susan’s Courthouse Café, at the corner of Orlando Avenue and Bryan Street, is now Susana’s Café. After a soft opening before Thanksgiving, new ownership and local dignitaries were on hand for Friday’s ribbon-cutting grand opening.
With the pull to spend more time with her many grandchildren, original owner Susan Ramirez put the restaurant, housed in an “Old Florida” style house on that shady corner, up for sale just over a year ago.
Local businessmen Julius Melendez and Jose Martinez, the first a Realtor and Osceola County School Board member and the other a successful St. Cloud mobile wireless store owner, have bought in. It’s their first foray into restaurant ownership, and said modernizing just a bit while maintaining the Susan’s charm was key.
“This place has been serving people. That service aspect as an elected official is near to me,” said Melendez, who said he worked in the food industry during his time at Disney. “We think we can stay true to the roots of it, while bringing it into the future.”
Martinez’s wife, Susana, is the inspiration for the new-ish name that will stay on the tongue of locals.
“I’m famous, I love it!” she said Friday morning, while helping move trays of fresh empanadas to her namesake café’s windowed patio room. “I’m so excited by this. It’s going to be great for our family and the community.”
Jose Martinez said he’s also excited about the new venture.
“We’re not here to change tradition. And, I’m not in this for the money. I’m excited about doing this to be a part of the community.”
If you’ve frequented Susan’s over the years, Susana’s will feel familiar and just as comfortable, with the wood accents still prevalent. The menu features a variety of sandwiches, paninis and burgers, with some trendy tacos and upscale meals like steaks and carbonara dishes.
But, it will still be a spot to grab a quick cup of coffee. U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, was on hand to remind people the café serves to “keep lawyers and judges fully caffeinated.”
“Small businesses and cafes are the backbone of this community,” he said Friday.
For two decades, it’s hosted a bustling crowd, local residents as well as courthouse regulars — where attorneys meet with clients, judges pop in for a cup of coffee and courthouse employees and jurors take refuge during their lunch hours.
And Melendez and Martinez want to continue that, even planning a delivery service to feed court personnel who can’t break away and the nearby Kissimmee Police Department.
