Trolley riders in Chula Vista can now get their cup of joe while waiting at the E Street station on the recently upgraded Blue Line.
Alejandro Welti’s Cool Down Coffee opened Thursday with the chairman of the Metropolitan Transit System and the mayor of Chula Vista helping cut the ribbon.
The coffee shop replaced an information center and is the first sit-down eatery within a trolley station in San Diego. It features high ceilings, half a dozen tables, a couch and a transit information area. The menu includes organic coffee, smoothies, sandwiches and baked goods.
The E Street station was recently upgraded as part of a $600 million renewal of the Blue Line, which stretches from downtown to the Mexican border.
MTS Chairman Harry Mathis called the shop “a welcome oasis for MTS riders” and predicted it would prove to be a “great way to begin the morning commute.”
Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas congratulated Welti and his family on launching the new business. “The key to economic development and job growth really begins with small businesses in our community,” she said.
Welti, who immigrated from Puebla, Mexico, has been in the coffee business for 23 years. His coffee is from Cafe Virtuoso in Barrio Logan.
The shop is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
