Two Vegan Cafés Merge into a Secret Project in Philly

Philadelphia-based vegan coffee shop Grindcore House and patisserie Crust Vegan Bakery will open a joint business in the West Philadelphia area this summer. Both businesses teased the collaboration on social media, keeping menu, location, and décor details secret. Aside from both business being vegan, the styles and offerings of the two differ as Grindcore House has a punk-inspired aesthetic while Crust’s aesthetic is more minimalistic. Mike Barone opened Grindcore House in 2010 in South Philadelphia, with a menu consisting of coffee, bagels, sandwiches, salads, and baked goods—including chocolate chip cookie sandwiches from Crust. In 2015, Shannon Roche and Meagan Benz established Crust and currently supplies baked goods to more than 30 eateries. Once open, the new “secret” business will be Crust’s first brick-and-mortar location. In addition to Crust, several wholesale vegan bakeries in Philadelphia have recently transformed into permanent locations, including Batter & Crumbs which is set to open a bake shop in South Philadelphia.