Fig Good Food opens second location at Courtney’s House

Posted: 8:13 am, May 12, 2016 by Heather Young

From left, United Cerebal Palsy of San Luis Obispo County Executive Director Mark Shaffer, Courtney’s House founder Carrie Sanders, Fig Good Food owner Chris Dillow and United Cerebal Palsy of SLO County President David Murray stand together in front of Fig’s Atascadero location with the menu for Fig at Courtney’s House. Photo by Heather Young

Atascadero restaurant partners with Courtney’s House for job training

—Fig Good Food owner Chris Dillow and Courtney’s House founder Carrie Sanders met by chance one day when they each decided to stop by Finley Family Nursery in Templeton. Jamie Finley introduced the two and told Dillow of Sanders’ struggles to find someone to run a cafe at Courtney’s House, an organization dedicated to providing young adults with developmental disabilities a safe, supportive, individualized environment where they will be exposed to and encouraged in areas of vocational, life and social skills, along with enrichment opportunities. That chance meeting led to two talking and forming a partnership where Fig will operate a restaurant inside Courtney’s House at 311 6th St. in Templeton.

Sanders said that she, along with the local United Cerebral Palsy chapter, had been working on starting a cafe in the home for job training for the last two years. After a lot of starts and stops, and people coming forward and then not following through, they weren’t sure what was going to happen, Sander said. Until, it seems, the universe intervened and brought Dillow and Sanders together at the same time.

“It’s a miracle,”United Cerebral Palsy of San Luis Obispo County Executive Director Mark Shaffer said.

“[We offer] social activities for adults with developmental disabilities … we wanted to offer a vocational [program],” Sanders said.

They met the first week of March this year and are on the way to opening at the end of the month. A community meet and greet open house will be held on Saturday, May 28 from noon to 3 p.m. A soft opening will be held through June with the grand opening on Thursday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Dillow said the restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for breakfast and lunch. For special events, such as for Concerts in the Park, Fig at Courtney’s House will offer picnic items to go. In the future, she said, the restaurant may also offer sit-down dining. Dillow added that they will also open up for “pop-up” dinners. The restaurant will be open on Monday, July 1.

A change from Fig’s Atascadero location at 5945 Traffic Way is that table service will be offered in addition to counter service. While the Atascadero restaurant can seat 20, Fig at Courtney’s House will be able to seat 55 – 25 inside and 30 outside. All of the food will be made in Atascadero.

“Basically, it’ll feel like a coffee house,” Dillow said.

The job training will begin July 1, giving Dillow and her staff time to get settled at the new place. Over the course of the month, there will likely be 20 different people – all adults – receiving job training from a job coach.

“The goal is that they graduate and work in another restaurant,” Shaffer said.