Allen Nowell brings third sandwich cafe Location to La Grange
La Grange — A familiar name in eastern North Carolina’s small-town dining scene is expanding again. Allen Nowell, owner of Second Street Café in Ayden and downtown Farmville, is preparing to open his third location—this time in La Grange.
“I’m looking for small communities to bring a different taste and a different flavor,” Nowell said during a walkthrough of the new space, which is expected to open in mid-July. “This will be my third location, and I just felt like this was the right one.”
Nowell, a Kinston native and North Lenoir High School graduate, has worked in the restaurant industry for more than 30 years. He opened his first café in 2023 and quickly expanded to a second location a year later. His new restaurant will follow the same successful formula, including hot sandwiches served on sourdough, hearty plate meals, and what he calls his “key feature”—a 22-item salad bar.
“I enjoy a great salad bar,” Nowell said. “After COVID, a lot of salad bars disappeared and never came back. I want to bring that back—people can make it themselves, and you can’t mess up your own food.”
The new location will operate from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with the potential for Sunday breakfast service in the future. The café will not have a drive-thru, but it does offer a pickup window. Nowell said the atmosphere is a key part of the experience, with walls decorated in 70s, 80s, and 90s movie memorabilia and televisions playing family-friendly films and cartoons throughout the day.
“The walls signify my childhood,” he said. “I want to give people a comfortable, enjoyable environment to sit down and enjoy a good meal with someone.”
Nowell is proud of his youthful workforce—around 90 percent of his current 36 employees are high school students. He believes in keeping the menu simple and the service strong.
“If you can’t make a sandwich, something’s wrong,” he said with a laugh. “We specialize in big, hot sandwiches. It’s just something about toasted sourdough that hits different.”
Though he now lives in Ayden, Nowell says his roots are still in Lenoir County. His parents still live in the area, and he visits frequently. With three daughters of his own—two of whom work in his restaurants—and an extended household that includes his daughter’s best friend, Nowell calls his business a “family affair.”
“I didn’t even ask my wife when this place became available,” he admitted. “I just did it. I had a good feeling about it, and I think I picked a good one here.”
Nowell hopes his La Grange café becomes a go-to spot for locals looking for hearty food and a friendly place to sit a while.
“You give good food, good service—people will return,” he said. “That’s our focus.”
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