May/Jun 2020 - Lynchburg Living
Batter Bar brings its crepe creations to Downtown Lynchburg
It’s been a whirlwind six months for Nicole Davidson and Chelsea Doebler, the Lynchburg natives and sisters who opened Batter Bar. The eatery debuted as a food truck in November 2019; by late February, they were already expanding to a brick-and-mortar presence inside the Gilded gift shop on Church Street. “It’s a really cool collaboration,” Nicole said.
Nicole came home to Lynchburg after spending four years in Nashville working as a sous chef at an upscale Japanese restaurant and a catering company. Not only was she ready to take on a new challenge, she wanted to be closer to her family. “Before I left, I got to see Lynchburg start to grow,” she explained. “Then in the little bit I was gone, it really boomed.”
Once she convinced Chelsea to open a restaurant with her, they landed on the idea of crepes. The thin pancakes hail from France and are very popular in Nashville—but there wasn’t much of a market in Lynchburg. “My sister and I are really into Japanese culture and she was like, in Japan, there are these cool Harajuku-style street crepes. They roll them into a cone shape and super stuff them with fillings,” Nicole said. “It’s your traditional French base, but it’s a little quirky and different.”
And perfect for a food truck, where you can grab a cone and go—no utensils needed. Since they started serving locals, Nicole says their savory crepes are the best sellers, with the “Avocado BLT” coming out on top. The sweet crowd usually gravitates toward the “Hazelberry,” which includes Nutella, strawberries and whipped cream.
Fresh baked goods are another staple of the Batter Bar menu—and when restaurants were forced to close in March, the eatery decided to pause on their crepes and only sell bakery items to-go. But that’s okay, because Nicole says they chose the name “Batter Bar” to hopefully allow them room to expand the menu in the future. “Brownie batter, cake batter,” she said. “I think it’s important to have long term goals but I’m trying to be present in the moment.”
Batter Bar
1103 B Church Street, Lynchburg
(Inside Gilded Gift Shop)
Tues – Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sat, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sun, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Closed Mondays
(Operating hours may be affected
by COVID-19 restrictions.)
For the food truck schedule
and to book a private event,
visit www.batterbarlyh.com.
During the Pandemic…
“Switching to a pre-ordered, grab-and-go system has its challenges, but we are trying to stay positive through everything. The response and support from the community has been so very supportive from those buying gift cards, ordering our mystery baked boxes, and the kind words on social media from those who can’t wait for us to open the doors again.”
