NEW ORLEANS – Patrick Brennan of Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group has acquired local coffee company Congregation Coffee Roasters and plans to reopen its Algiers Point coffeehouse (240 Pelican Avenue) and Uptown wholesale roastery (1746 Tchoupitoulas Street) in November. The company ceased operations five months ago amid a search for new ownership.
Congregation’s founder Eliot Guthrie will collaborate with Brennan to bring the business back online.
“Having the opportunity to revive a brand like Congregation, one that was loved and respected by so many people, is an honor that I’m excited to take on,” said Brennan in a press release. “This venture will allow me to continue my personal growth as a business owner while sticking to my roots. There’s a reason we chose to serve Congregation Coffee at Brennan’s for the past seven years. They’re the best roasters in the city.”
When it reopens, Congregation Coffee in Algiers Point will offer various coffee drinks along with pastries from the Ralph Brennan Bakery. Initial opening hours will be 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Brennan plans to reestablish Congregation’s wholesale partnerships with regional restaurants and stores along with its coffee subscription service and shipping services. He also hopes to open additional coffeehouse locations throughout New Orleans.
“I’m excited to see the brand do something it was always supposed to do,” said Guthrie. “From our initial conversations, I knew Patrick had the potential to take Congregation to new heights while honoring the ethos and mission we worked to maintain over the years. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
A fourth generation member of the Brennan family of restaurateurs (and son of Ralph Brennan), Brennan said he began his restaurant career at nine years old in the kitchen of Red Fish Grill. He has since worked in many different roles at many different RBRG restaurants. He initially worked with Guthrie to develop Brennan’s coffee program.
Working from home, Guthrie launched Congregation in 2015. In 2017, he opened the Algiers Point cafe. A year later, Food & Wine named it the best coffee roaster in Louisiana. His second coffeehouse in New Orleans opened in July of 2019 but closed during the pandemic. Overall, Congregation distributed coffee to seven grocery stores in five Louisiana cities and developed coffee programs for more than 30 restaurants and hotels.
