First in Flight, Again

Jamie and Ace Alfalla know a thing or two about the hospitality business, setbacks and successes, and trusting God. Their Alfalla Hospitality Group (AHG) owns several successful venues in Wilmington, including the Front Street Inn and its Concorde Espresso Bar and the newly opened Concorde Espresso Bar in Porters Neck.

But had it not been for an accidental fire in 2023 at its original venue, the Graystone Inn, the Long Island, New York, transplants may not have forged ahead with either of the Concordes. “Our backs were against the wall, and our executive team, many of whom moved to Wilmington with us in 2021, were depending on us,” says Ace. “We believe in failing forward,” says Jamie.

And that’s exactly what the Alfallas did.

Today, Alfalla Hospitality Group offers locals and tourists a range of lodging and food and beverage options at its Verandas Bed and Breakfast, Oklahoma’s Original Burger, Sugo Italian Steakhouse, the Front Street Inn’s Concorde Espresso Bar and AHG’s most recent spot, the Porters Neck Concorde, which opened in June.

“God has a way of turning scars into stars,” says Jamie. “We feel so blessed to have the team we do and to have experienced the success of our downtown Concorde location.” There, patrons enjoy the outdoor space with its fire pits for four, s’mores kits and craft cocktails, including espresso martini flights. Inside, specialty coffees and creative lattes are served in a space reminiscent of a New York City coffee shop with its brick walls, copper hanging lights and framed posters. (By the way, if you’re hoping to snag an outdoor space on a Friday or Saturday night, you best have a reservation.) And for those looking for an overnight experience with an international vibe, the Front Street Inn’s rooms provide just that, with themed rooms mimicking the décor and furnishings found in locales such as Amsterdam, Netherlands; Soho, London; Segovia, Spain; and Zermatt, Switzerland. Other rooms are decorated and named for authors, artists and adventurers such as Ernest Hemingway, Georgia O’Keeffe, Rudyard Kipling and Jacques Cousteau.

“All this is just a cool way to make people—most of whom travel from cities in North Carolina and surrounding states—feel like they’re experiencing more of the world,” says Jamie. “As for the Concorde name and one of its taglines—Caffeine at the Speed of Sound—that was a team effort. Ace and I both come from marketing backgrounds, and that line came out of a brainstorm. We wanted something historic. And once we landed on Concorde, our COO, Dave Gerrin, a big aviation fan, was completely on board.”

Just two years after opening the downtown Concorde, AHG is at it again with its Concorde location situated about 20 minutes from Front Street in the Porters Neck neighborhood of Wilmington. The space, a former drive-thru car wash at 8121 Market Street, was perfect for what the owners wanted to accomplish.

“We had looked at spots in Wrightsville Beach, but when we saw this former car wash, already gutted and with the metal gates still in place, it hit us that we could really pull off the airplane theme,” says Ace.

And that they did.

Inside the Porters Neck Concorde, with its amber lighting and arched overhead cabin styling, one feels like they are sitting inside a private jet. Digital airplane windows display three-dimensional views of takeoffs and landings. And an upstairs lounge provides a secondary seating area overlooking the main space.

The outdoor space is a large, open area with fire pits and string lights and includes a custom outdoor mural by Belmont, North Carolina, artist Natalie Robinson. The image shows a woman’s hand raising an espresso martini with a Concorde jet soaring into the night.

Like its downtown predecessor, the Porters Neck location serves up a bevy of international offerings such as Parisian lattes; passion fruit martinis, a favorite in the U.K.; Vietnamese coffee; Thai iced tea; and Italian sodas, to name just a few. And the QR code method for ordering drinks at both locations enables customers “to control the pace of their evening,” notes Jamie.

If all this leaves you thinking that this is quite a recipe for success, Jamie and Ace couldn’t agree more, with both adding that other key ingredients include their committed staffs and no-gossip, no-drama workplaces where everyone respects one another.

“We strive to provide workplaces where people feel valued and can make a living, and to create spaces where customers can enjoy themselves and the time they spend together with friends and family,” says Jamie. “That we get to do this is a tremendous blessing and responsibility.”

Looking ahead, their flight plan includes several potential sites for additional Concordes, including Charleston, Raleigh, Charlotte and Nashville.