Charlie’s Coffee closing

Bad news for Main Street Market phở fans: Charlie’s Coffee is closing its doors on July 16. Owners Crystal and Quan Le plan to return to California, to be closer to family. “It was a hard decision,” Crystal Le says, “but we talked about it and decided we missed home.” The coffee shop recently expanded its offerings from muffins and lattes to include a full lunch menu, with Vietnamese dishes from spring rolls to banh mi po-boys, as well as the popular rice-noodle soup, phở. This marks the closure of the last Charlie’s Coffee remaining in Baton Rouge, a once-flourishing chain started by Baton Rouge resident Quy “Charlie” Ton in 2004. Ton also owns the successful Regal Nails franchise. —Rachael Upton