A Shaler couple who filled a need for a coffee shop in the township hopes to fill a similar, if somewhat different, need in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Christine Rauktis and Daryl Kuczynski, who opened Ruckus Cafe on Babcock Boulevard in Shaler in July 2021, opened a second location at 625 Liberty Ave., the former EQT building, on Dec. 1.
They’re in a spot previously occupied by Au Bon Pain, across from Morton’s Steakhouse.
Guided to the location by a Realtor after first looking around Oakland, Rauktis said they decided to open there after walking through the area and finding they could fill a need as a place for coffee and food.
“We always said we would go someplace needed,” she said.
Being needed is something that has become evident over their more than four years of business in Shaler, where, with that location’s event space, Rauktis said Ruckus has become a place for community and school groups to gather.
“We have become part of the community,” she said. “A place like this was really needed.”
While the general idea behind both locations is the same, Rauktis said the Downtown Ruckus has a “city vibe,” focusing on being fast and not necessarily a place to hang out, so people can grab breakfast or lunch and get back to work.
“Shaler is more geared to this neighborhood feel, a place to hang out with your laptop and meet friends,” she said. “The Downtown one is more for the business tenants upstairs and people walking by who work in the high-rises around us. We’ve met a few residents who we’re happy to serve as well.”
Rauktis said they’re also excited to be in the heart of the cultural district and will be featuring drinks and food themed to upcoming shows.
Rauktis, 58, and Kuczynski, 55, met in 2020 and started the business a year later, opening in Shaler after not being able to find a spot that worked for them in Millvale.
Originally planning on just being a coffee shop, the business grew to fit and take advantage of the space they found, the former Around the Corner Bar & Grill. There was a full kitchen for preparing food and a back room that became an event space, both allowing Rauktis to use her background in catering and events.
Kuczynski’s construction background was helpful when it came to remodeling the place.
“It just evolved with the space that we happened to find,” Rauktis said.
They got the name from using the letters in their last names, and, because “it just made sense,” Rauktis said.
“We’re just doing something different. We’re causing ruckus,” she said.
But what Ruckus is, and what it is called, has evolved over time. Rauktis said they’ve found their food has been a bigger draw than coffee, so they’ve become more of a cafe than a coffee shop.
After starting as Ruckus Coffee Gallery Cafe, both locations are now simply Ruckus Cafe.
The menus are different in Shaler and Downtown. For instance, bagels and bagel sandwiches are only available Downtown, but that location doesn’t have Shaler’s flatbreads. They also offer business catering Downtown — Rauktis said they found there were not many options for breakfast catering.
So far, the Downtown Ruckus has been selling more food than coffee, as Rauktis said they work to break into peoples’ established coffee routines.
“It’s cool meeting all these people,” she said. “We’re enjoying meeting all the new faces.”
While they might look to open a third location, Rauktis said their goal is to retire.
“Because we started Ruckus in our 50s, we thought maybe if we were profitable enough we could sell the whole concept and this would be our retirement,” she said. “We’re not married to that idea. We’re pretty good at what we do.”