If you like to conclude your bike ride with a craft brew and a bite to eat, as a lot of us do, there’s a new option at a popular shop in Metro East. Bike Surgeon has opened Coasters, a small café inside its 5,000-square-foot building in downtown O’Fallon, Illinois. With seating for 30 to 40 people, the hangout will offer 20 or more microbrews from within a 100-mile radius, along with a menu of “light eats” prepared on site.

“We wanted to create a space that allows us to capitalize on the community we’ve built on bikes and broaden that to also attract new people,” said owner Jon Greenstreet. “We’re still a bike shop, and always will be. This offers us a place to host parties after some of our larger races and events, and a new fun place to hang out when we’re not riding.”

The events Greenstreet mentions include an annual Fourth of July ride that has grown to attract hundreds of people in a normal year. He says he also envisions new concepts, like Sunday brunch rides, that could evolve as part of the eatery.

Demolition and build out started in January. Construction was mostly finished by mid-March, says Greenstreet, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “Our industry is changing, and was long before the pandemic. Coasters gives us an additional source of sustainable revenue,” he said. “We’ve been tweaking things since March, waiting to open up [the café].”

The space uses repurposed materials — sandstone counters, corrugated tin ceiling, old whiskey barrels — paired with quality components like John Boos Butcher Blocks and an open-air, stainless-steel kitchen. The casual yet clean look is intentional, says Greenstreet. Much of the work was done by shop employees.

“We’re not changing who we are. We’re just adding to the fun,” said Greenstreet. “We’ve also gotten the green light from the city for outdoor seating.”