William and Amanda Wittpenn take over beloved Bozeman institution, and yes, the cinnamon rolls stay
By Annie O’Neill EDITORIAL INTERN
The Coffee Pot Bakery Café, a Bozeman institution known for its cinnamon rolls and pottery-lined shelves, has changed ownership. But longtime customers won’t notice much of a difference at the counter.
William and Amanda Wittpenn took over the cafe side of the business from Josh and Kathy Lockie on June 2. The Lockie family, who have run the café since Josh’s mother and father opened it in 2003, will continue to run the pottery side of the operation, and their pieces will remain for sale in the shop. The cafe’s classic recipes, including its signature cinnamon rolls, will remain untouched.
For Amanda Wittpenn, who grew up in Bozeman, the sale marked the transfer of The Coffee Pot between two families with a decades-long history.
Her family’s ties to the Lockies trace back to the 1980s, when the Wittpenns first moved to Bozeman and the two families grew close. So when the Lockies eventually approached the Wittpenns about taking over the café, it wasn’t entirely out of the blue.
“We always joked about it,” Wittpenn said. When the offer became real, the response was immediate. “Oh my goodness, let’s see if we can pull this off,” Wittpenn recalled thinking.
William Wittpenn brings restaurant management experience to the role, while Amanda steps out from raising their four children to manage the Coffee Pot, where their kids are now frequent faces around the shop.
That sense of family extends to the staff, too. One of the new owners’ proudest accomplishments in the transition is that every employee stayed on.
“Josh and Kathy had said it was the best staff they have ever had,” Wittpenn said. “For them all to be willing to stay is incredible.”
The café’s hours may seem unconventional, but the Lockies built them around taking care of the staff. It’s a tradition the Wittpenns have chosen to keep, even though it means missing out on the morning commuter traffic through Gallatin Gateway.
“This is designed for the employees,” Wittpenn said. “Work-life balance is important. Our employees are happier at eight rather than earlier in the morning.” Espresso service stops at 2 p.m., so staff have time to break down the shop and get out by 3 p.m.
“We are only as good as the people who work here,” she said. “We want to care for our employees.”
That philosophy of care ripples outward to customers as well, many of whom have their own history with the shop. Wittpenn described an 80-year-old couple from Gallatin Gateway who are regulars at the café. The husband still does odd jobs around the property and has his own coffee mug waiting for him in the owner’s office.
“What yard work can I do?” he still asks when he calls.
“We’ve heard so many stories about people that have grown up here with the Lockies,” Wittpenn said. It’s that legacy the Wittpenns hope to keep as they settle into ownership.
“We want people to know that they are welcome and at home here,” she said. “We want to make them feel seen and have a lasting impact on the Bozeman community.”
She pointed to the café’s ripple effects across town: couples who come in every Friday for lunch, customers who show up only on Wednesday mornings for caramel rolls and patrons who have used the bakery’s food to cater their own events.
The Wittpenns haven’t raised prices since taking over, and they’ve been deliberate about keeping the menu focused. The café serves drinks in a single 16-ounce size, syrups are made in-house and the food and drink lineup stays intentionally limited.
“Focusing on things with the most impact, not fancy, but you know what you’re gonna get,” Wittpenn said. “Keeping simple.”
The coffee beans come from Red Bird Coffee, a Bozeman-based roaster, and the Wittpenns are committed to sourcing beans and ingredients as much as possible from Montana.
“Coffee Pot is local,” she said. “Everything is from Montana. As Montana as possible.”
Still, Wittpenn has some changes in mind for down the road, starting with online ordering, and eventually a wholesale take-and-bake option that would let customers finish the shop’s cinnamon rolls at home, possibly through local grocery partnerships.
For now, though, Wittpenn’s favorite item on the menu is the coconut scone. And the cinnamon rolls that made the Coffee Pot famous aren’t going anywhere.
