Fair Oaks coffee fans might want to clear some space on their punch cards. Temple Coffee Roasters has quietly hinted it is headed to the neighborhood, dropping a quick social video that shows its familiar sign being hoisted into place and challenging followers to guess the location. If local sleuths are right, the Sacramento-born roaster is preparing to open its ninth café just off Hazel Avenue, and residents plus realtors are already speculating about what that could mean for lunchtime foot traffic and lazy weekend coffee runs.
According to What Now Sacramento, Temple’s Facebook teaser was captioned, “River walks, wild chickens, outdoor recreation galore…can you guess where our new neighborhood is?” Commenters quickly zeroed in on Hazel Ridge Plaza and the building that houses Mikuni’s central kitchen at 4301 Hazel Ave. A local realtor’s Facebook post added fuel to the chatter, suggesting a Temple shop could arrive there within the next two to three months. Temple has not publicly confirmed an exact address or official opening date.
Hiring activity is tracking with the online hints. Listings for a “NEW Hazel Avenue Cafe Fair Oaks” have appeared on job boards and ask new hires to train at existing Sacramento locations before transferring to a Fair Oaks store, which lines up with a spring opening window. These postings, visible on Indeed, show that Temple is actively staffing up, although they do not include lease details or specifics on the buildout. For now, the video and the job ads are the strongest public signals that this Fair Oaks project is moving beyond neighborhood rumor.
Where It Could Land
Hazel Ridge Plaza, the shopping strip near Hazel and Fair Oaks boulevards, is the front runner in the local guessing game. The storefronts shown in Temple’s clip resemble that stretch, and Mikuni Central Kitchen already operates in the same complex. The plaza’s mix of restaurants, visibility from major roads, and easy surface parking make it an obvious play for a suburban café, which helps explain the mini frenzy among locals. Neighbors who have been watching the site say the signage and mounting hardware in the video match what they have seen installed at the plaza.
Temple’s Local Footprint And Expansion Plan
Temple, which launched in 2005, currently lists eight cafés across the region on its locations page and has been steadily growing its footprint. The brand has also been tied to a future presence at Sacramento International Airport and to a lease at the Club Pheasant redevelopment in West Sacramento, according to reporting by KCRA. A Fair Oaks café would push Temple deeper into suburban retail territory and give locals another option alongside the usual national chains and smaller independents…