“We’re not just food and beverage … what we are is experiential,” he says. When asked what customers can expect when they walk into Café Intermezzo for the first time, Olson says that people come together at Café Intermezzo for the experience. But the rest is history.Ī customer takes a peek at Café Intermezzo’s famous pastry display. That was on December 3, 1979, meaning that Café Intermezzo’s forty-third anniversary is approaching this winter. “And then, in 1979, I found a location in Dunwoody - this beautiful shopping center that was under construction called Park Place - and ended up signing a lease there and scraping together money to open the first Café Intermezzo,” Olson says.

Olson was putting that name and other loose ends together for his European coffeehouse in 1977, which is the same year that he moved from Minneapolis to Atlanta. “And ‘café’ means ‘coffee’ or ‘coffee shop,’” he continues. “I was just really fascinated by the opera and classical music … and ‘intermezzo’ was a word created in Italian - hundreds of years ago - to mean ‘intermission’ for the opera.” When asked how the name “Café Intermezzo” came to be, Olson says that its roots stem from his love of classical music. “Which - by the grace of God - just sort of tied into where I was headed with that part of my career at the time.” “But the machine broke, and I fixed it … and then along the way, I started selling these espresso cappuccino machines,” Olson continues. “We had these big brass cappuccino machines … and I wasn’t a real coffee fanatic or anything,” he says. The following year, in 1972, Olson started working in a restaurant in Minneapolis to learn the ropes of restaurant management. I didn’t have any restaurant experience … and I didn’t have any money to speak of.” “I was twenty-three years old at the time, and I really wanted to someday open my own coffeehouse. “So, it planted a seed in my brain,” Olson continues. “And when I traveled to Austria shortly afterward, I saw the same style of coffeehouses in Vienna, and I just thought, man, this is fabulous.” “I was just touched by the elegance of these places,” he says. While he was there, Olson visited a traditional European coffeehouse - known in the German language as a Konditorei. “My cousin married a girl in Berlin, so I decided to seize the opportunity to finally go to Europe.”

“My mom grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota with a German-speaking family, and I was always longing to visit Europe, especially Germany,” Olson says.

Photo courtesy of Harry Middleton.īut Café Intermezzo’s story begins in 1971. And Olson still beams about his dream business as if he just opened it yesterday.Ī Café Intermezzo barista whips up a few espresso beverages for the guests. You can’t miss it.īrian Olson, the founder and president of Café Intermezzo, was inspired by the European coffeehouses that he visited in his twenties and has successfully replicated their allure across three locations right here in Georgia. Its atmosphere is elegant yet comfortable, alleviating any pressure of feeling underdressed as you order a slice of cheesecake from the barista bar. There are stunning Corinthian-style columns on each side of its front door, and gold letters that read “ Café Intermezzo” that sit above. Especially during warmer months, you’ll find customers packed tightly underneath its shaded patio area enjoying a mixed berry crepe or sipping an espresso martini. If you’ve ever strolled through Midtown on Peachtree Street (the one that runs northeast - there are quite a few Peachtree Streets in Atlanta, to say the least), you’ve most likely noticed the chocolate-colored coffeehouse that sits across from the Federal Reserve Headquarters.

Connector cafe