Amy's Market — Restaurant in Lewisburg

A fairly solid, local place for breakfast, lunch and treats. Lots of treats. Much is baked/cooked from scratch (locally sourced when available/possible) and prepared upon order. I've had some truly delicious, succulent foods. (The ubiquitous breakfast sandwich can be memorable here.) A couple of misses: a hot sandwich served at barely tepid temp and a salad had elements that were clearly past-due! But out of a dozen meals, that's okay. Sorry, I cannot speak to the quality of the plethora of sweet things offered as I follow a "no flour-no-added-sugar" eating lifestyle. I do occasionally enjoy a biscuit in a breakfast sandwich and it... is... HEAVENLY!! So if that's an example of their baking ability, the sweet stuff has a good chance of being yummy! I can say that I've observed a brisk business of their baked goods. Beyond the tasty food, Amy's Market's strength is its neighborliness. There are exclamations of recognition and greetings among customers and employees, and that's a strong positive.

Appearance: I find the dining area incohesive or downright chaotic, and moderately messy. Eating among shelving units loaded with baking trays and pans, serving platters and bowls, enormous and LOOMING (retired?) refrigerator units is... well, I think a better presentation for customers is possible and the right next step. The restrooms desperately need a deep cleaning (Please, on a routine basis.) and fresh coats of durable paint. I recommend that its necessary supplies be more routinely checked. I've worked in a BUSY, big city sandwich shop and a suburban "landmark" restaurant and all was kept up by assigned staff. No excuses were acceptable by owners, management and the rest of the serving crew. Talk about peer pressure! But the right kind.

The market part, which consists of locally sourced veggies, fruits, dried foods, condiments, and even crafts, is in an adjacent room that used to be set for dining. (A different, previous business.) This area lacks connection to the eatery business. Yes, this place is called Amy's "Market," but why the market? I believe Amy's business was originally a bakery/ice cream shop eventually growing (I think?) into offering foods for breakfast and lunch... and at some point in there, offering the smattering of market-like items. Perhaps what I'm getting at is there's a split personality, split businesses, and that may be holding the eatery back. It looks (and frankly feels) helter-skelter because it doesn't know what it wants to be, or more to the point, is not acknowledging its strengths and weaknesses seriously. This customer thinks it should stop trying to be a little bit of this and that. Pick the food service because you do that very well! Clean up and clear out the rest. Hire a pro to figure out the best, most welcoming presentation and put those enormous coolers and trollies of ceramicware in their own area. As for the businesses who have items in the market? Find a way to be represented in your own space. Find it. Claim it. Be it. Much prosperity to you.

Bottom line: I keep going back every couple of months and enjoy my meal and time, nattering with friends. As I sit and contemplate my surroundings during lulls of conversation, the elements that I find improvable occupy and nag my mind. But... then I hear greetings among customers and employees, and I tell my organizing brain to "take a bite and...

Amy and her team did a phenomenal job bringing my vision to life. I asked for a custom cake to be made for my birthday that recognized my profession and passion. Needless to say, she put her creativity to work, and exceeded my expectations. Wine bottles typically have labels that display the name of the winery and the vintage of the bottle. Amy seized this opportunity to design a custom handmade chocolate bottle that displayed my name and my birth year.

This cake was so incredible to look at, that I did not want to eat it. After talking myself into slicing and serving the cake, the experience got even better. With texture-perfect spiced & flavorful layers of moist chai cake wedged between rich and flavorful cream cheese, this masterpiece was exceptionally delicious inside and out!

Cheers...

Ordered a cake for a friend's birthday. "I don't know. If you could put a squirrel on it somewhere, that would be cool." I was just expecting it drawn in icing, especially at that low price and with so little notice. On a holiday weekend, no less. They went above and beyond, creating a beautiful and delicious cake with an adorable sculpted topper and real fruit filling made with care and artistry. They responded promptly and kindly via FB Messenger to multiple schedule changes as plans changed. When another friend ordered a cake for the same person, they even coordinated the orders (even though we hadn't) so that they complimented each other. Couldn't have...