.50 CAL Coffee & Desserts Grand Re-Opening

Patrons during the .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts Grand Re-opening event last Saturday. -SVT Photos by Tami Stevenson

How this new business survived major flooding from two hurricanes–

By Tami Stevenson

Hailing from Oregon and Washington State, Marine Corps veteran and Retired Deputy Sheriff Felix Menjivar, along with his wife, Tammy, first opened their military themed Christian Coffee shop, called .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts, in downtown Live Oak, on May 17, 2024.

Felix Menjivar said, “God put it on our hearts to build the coffee shop as a place to enjoy the Word of God, family, community, friendship, coffee and dessert. Also to have a place where Veterans and all First Responders are honored and welcomed.”

.50 Cal Coffee & Desserts Owners Tammy and Felix Menjivar in front of their Humvee recently mounted with a .50 caliber gun, parked outside the coffee shop during their grand re-opening, Saturday. -SVT Photo

The August 5, 2024, flood waters from Hurricane Debby devastated their new business less than three months after they opened. They had sandbags up around the door and said they were doing pretty well. The water was about three feet outside and only about an inch of water on the inside.

“But then a vehicle driving by created a pressure wave and it broke the glass on the bottom window next to the door.” He added, “That’s what let the water in.” Then they wound up with four feet of water inside. Their security cameras caught the window break and water rushing in at the moment it happened. “You could see on the video the freezers floating up and all.”

Governor Ron DeSantis visited Live Oak after Debby and stopped by .50 Cal. His press office published a photo with the Governor inside the shop talking with the Menjivars.

“Because he put us on his social media, we had people reaching out to us from all over the state. So now we’re state-wide, people know about us just because he was able to do that,” he said.

After Debby the couple went into clean-up mode. Little did they know that in just over a month, Hurricane Helene would flood them again. This did not deter the resilient Menjivars. They rolled up their sleeves and went to work again.

On November 16, they held a grand re-opening and their shop was filled with customers all day, instead of water. They gave out free hot dogs, had a military display outside next to the shop while live gospel music, provided by Stagecoach Junction, echoed from inside throughout the day. Then, from 7pm-11pm, they had (and offer every Saturday night) Christian karaoke.

Stagecoach Junction performing at .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts during their grand re-opening last Saturday. L-R: Nancy Grossman, Paul Drummond, Martin Feagle, Lisa Brookins, Danny (Rabbit) Rodgers. Thanksgiving weekend the group will be at the Spirit of the Suwannee for Old Time Farm Days. -SVT Photo

One customer, Joshua Persing, from Live Oak, said, “I just found out about this place this morning. It’s quite nice.”

There is an open Bible on every table where customers are encouraged to highlight their favorite verses. They have a shelf with a variety of board games for family and friends, i.e., BibleOpoly, Yahtzee and many more.

While they were thinking of a name for the coffee shop, Felix Menjivar said he already had the Humvee, and was putting a .50 caliber gun on top of that, so the business really stands for .50 caliber coffee, not 50 calorie coffee, although they do have some sugar-free offerings, and a few guns for sale.

Tammy Menjivar said, “We have tons of desserts. Cheesecakes (even pumpkin cheesecake), muffins, flan, three layer chocolate cake and more.” They have drink options for those who don’t drink coffee, like red bull, teas and bobas, frappes, cappuccinos, lattes, etc. Some of the menu items even have military-themed names.

“This is for the Lord, this is what we made it for, and this is why we were able to open because it’s His plan,” she added. “We gave it to Him, this is His, and it’s to bless people. Nothing to do with us, it’s Him and His awesomeness to us.” She added the coffee shop is a place for young couples and people of any age, really, who are searching for something to do instead of going to the bars.

Stop in and say hello the next time you have a little time to enjoy some great coffee or dessert, watch - or participate - in a little Christian karaoke on Saturday nights. Their positive atmosphere just makes customers want to stay a little longer.

Their hours are M-F 7am-5pm, Saturday 9am-11pm, Closed Sunday. Their karaoke is every Saturday from 7pm - 11pm.
.50 Cal Coffee and Desserts is located at 208 W. Howard Street (Hwy 90) in downtown Live Oak.

This military ambulance on display came with a combat Army medic and wounded soldier.
Other military vehicles were on display outside the coffee shop during the grand re-opening, Saturday. -SVT Photo

Enjoying live gospel music during .50 Cal Coffee & Desserts grand re-opening. L-R: Ann Rodgers, from Live Oak, Hannah Bokowski, High Springs, Elena Garcia, Live Oak, Sarah Rodgers, from Live Oak. -SVT Photos by Tami Stevenson