When John Adams got involved in the restaurant industry, he probably would have never guessed he’d be purchasing the house that his father was born in, and repurposing it as a restaurant. Today, that house is The Bleu House Market, one of two family owned restaurants.
John and his wife Maureen have been restaurateurs since high school. Maureen’s father owned a few restaurants in the Atlanta area, including the mainstay bar, The Beer Mug. John got involved working as a bartender in Athens, and then as a general manager of the popular Italian restaurant Dominick’s in Norcross.
The Bleu House Market and The Bleu House Caf are two different eateries that fall under the business title, “A Bleu House Company”. They offer a daytime menu with food from local farmers, as well as catering, dinners to-go, and wedding specials. The Bleu House caf opened 14 years ago. The Market, the house John’s father was born in, opened four years ago.
When The Bleu House Market was first created, it was intended to operate as exactly that, a market, selling local produce from farmers in the Gwinnett area. When that business idea didn’t work, the Adam’s got a suggestion from a surprising source.
“One day the mayor came in and said, ‘Well, I’d like to eat here’. We were already doing the dinners to-go idea, and ended up switching our whole business model from a market to more of a restaurant, John says. We needed to adjust to what people wanted. So that’s what we did.”
John and Maureen have worked at numerous eateries, but none of them really flourished like The Blue House Market and Caf do. Today, all of their children work for the family business. Nicole, the oldest child, oversees Gingerspice, the dessert and wedding cake section at the Bleu House Caf.
Business is booming, and both the Market and the Caf already have a loyal following.
“I’ve got people who come in here every day, and they eat the same thing every day,” John says. “I always ask them how they can do that eat the same thing every day.” The responses from his faithful clients are unanimous. They just love being able to rely on the fact that their meal of choice will always taste the same. And, their expectations are always met! John says that all of his chefs are sticklers in the kitchen and they “take pride in what they do.”
In the next couple of years, John hopes to transfer both eateries over to his children.
“The plan is for them to take it over. Our goal is to have them send us a check every week,” John chuckles.
The Blue House Market and The Bleu House Caf offer seasonal items as well as daily specials. Find more about their food, catering or wedding specials at bleuhousecafe.com.
Bleu House Caf
23 Holcomb Bridge Rd
Norcross, GA 30071
770-209-0016
The Market
A Norcross Eatery
62 College St. NW
Norcross, GA 30071
678-527-6278
