FYI

Wi-Fi

Clatter offers free Wi-Fi to our guests. The network is “Clatter Guest.” There is no password.

Etiquette

• Please silence your devices. Please don’t play any audio out loud. Earbuds are available at the bar for $2. This includes speakerphone, audio from videos, music, etc.
• Our environment is for our guests. We’re glad you’re here, but you’ve got to buy something.
• Don’t bring in food or drink from other places.
• Please keep your shoes on, and feet off of the furniture.
• For our smoking friends, there is a cigarette receptacle between the two doors out front, and one in the back alley.
• Clatter is a team. Tips are split amongst workers.
• If you’re going to camp, be cool and camp responsibly.

FAQ

Q: Who do I talk to about performing at Clatter?

A: Send an email to booking@clattercafe.com with the subject heading “Music.” Include links to your music. Or drop off a recording with your name and contact info. Clatter prefers mostly original music. Non-musical ideas are welcome as well.

Q: Who do I talk to about having an art show at Clatter?

A: We aren't really doing that right now, but if you'd like to talk about something in the future, send an email to info@clattercafe.com with the subject heading “Art.”

Q: Can I hang something on the bulletin board?

A: Yes. Please don't ask a barista to do it. Board is generally for upcoming events. If an item doesn't have an event with a date, like an ad or business card, it may be taken down after a couple weeks. No offense meant.

Q: Can you put my display on your counter?

A: No. We don’t put things on the counter.

Q: Can I hang my poster in your window?

A: No, we don’t hang things in the window.

Q: How do I apply to work at Clatter?

A: It’s kind of hard to work here, and a lot is expected, so you probably don’t want to do it. But if you do, ask for an application at the counter. If you live far away, email info@clattercafe.com with subject heading “Employment.”

Service and Installation / Mobile Cafe

Need a new machine?

Clatter is a  a certified Nuova Simonelli/Victoria Arduino dealer. We can offer truly competitive prices on espresso machines and grinders, as well as installation packages.

Does your espresso machine need attention?

Our certified in-house espresso tech can service or install any commercial or home espresso machine.

Opening a shop?

We have learned a lot that we're happy to share.

In addition, we also offer training packages: We have trained a LOT and have gotten efficient about teaching baristas how to make high quality espresso drinks with speed and efficiency backed by professional knowledge, with professional, friendly guest engagement.

We can train employees or management how to maintain equipment for long fruitful life, including schedules. If interested, we can also contract to come and do periodic maintenance.

Contact us.

service@clattercafe.com

MOBILE CAFE

Our mobile cafe is three rolling carts that offer a full espresso bar with a trained Clatter barista. Bring the Clatter experience to your wedding, office or other event. Contact service@clattercafe.com to discuss your event and pricing.

Our Story

Clatter opened on April 14, 2017. It was a labor of love by locals who liked living in Frostburg, and wanted to keep the good things going. Along with friends, they gutted and remodeled a hundred-year-old building, re-using much of what they took out.

The ultimate goal was to be a whole spot: a comfortable, top-notch espresso bar; a great place to eat, a great place to meet friends or find them, and a great place to listen to music. It wouldn’t be very big, but we would put our hearts into it.

The hope was that if we put our best foot forward and did a good job, then maybe people would also choose to make it their own. Maybe put their hearts into it too.

We opened the coffee shop first, making food out of a corner of the bar.

For coffee, we partnered with the not-quite-open Basecamp Coffee Roasters, and the more-established Little Amps Coffee Roasters (Harrisburg, PA). Amps really came alongside us in those first years, supplying not just great coffee, but attentive training and mentoring in all things specialty coffee.

Our first food menu was entrusted to Josh Horevay, visionary chef and longtime friend. He put together a menu that felt right for a café, but also went in some more creative directions, incorporating aspects of Appalachian regional cooking and pushing the boundaries of what we could do.

In April, 2019 we finished the kitchen. By that time, we really needed more space: both for guests and for performances: musicians had been playing in the corner all this time and we were eager to offer a better space. In busy times, guests might not be able to find a seat. So we were excited to open the up an additional room, to be both additional seating and a killer listening room for music. Stephen Manger had done all the design and almost all of the construction from the very beginning. Now it was done, and it was beautiful.

We set to work making use of all of it. By that time, Josh had moved on to open Allegania in Cumberland. The kitchen came into the hands of Steve Sullivan, who had been a steady presence within the food program through all its big changes. Parker, a barista relatively new to Clatter, was affirmed by his peers as the manager for the coffee/bar program. We also started scheduling the stage, focusing on original or traditional music of any kind that seemed to have life in it. That’s pretty much where we are as I write this.

Clatter is still figuring itself out. But we know we’re a crew that wants to contribute to the good of the town we’re in. We want to feel good about what we’re doing, and do something where giving-a-darn is valued. As a general rubric, we want to do good work and be valuable in the areas of Coffee, Cookin’, Culture, and Community.

The expansion began a new period of growing that we’re probably still in as you read this. Both the espresso bar and food program have a little more room to breathe, and it’s an exciting time. But, as always, the focus is on respecting every single guest, and delivering product we’re proud of and service we stand by.

Capt. Jon Felton, February 2020
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Update June 2023: hoo boy a bunch of stuff happened but it's all good! Still kicking as above, but we also have some evening hours, a cocktail bar, and a more robust food menu.