This year, we were proud to receive:
Gold – Best Coffee Shop
Gold – Best Sandwiches
Silver – Best Breakfast
Silver – Best Brunch
Bronze – Best Bookstore

Being recognized across so many categories is a wonderful reminder of the variety of experiences we offer. From our handcrafted coffee to hearty breakfast and brunch dishes, fresh sandwiches, and a bookstore that celebrates a love of reading, these awards reflect the care and dedication our team brings to every detail.

Our Gold wins in Coffee Shop and Sandwiches are particularly meaningful, as they highlight both the beverages and food that have become a part of so many daily routines. Silver recognition for Breakfast and Brunch shows that our guests appreciate the heart and comfort we put into every meal. Even our Bronze placement for Bookstore reminds us that books and community remain at the center of everything we do.

We are endlessly thankful to our team and to our guests, whose votes, visits, and encouragement continue to make Between Friends a place where everyone feels welcome. These awards are yours as much as ours. Here’s to another year of gathering, sharing, and celebrating together!

This award honors the welcoming space we strive to create for everyone—friends gathering for a chat, families sharing a meal, or individuals enjoying a quiet moment with a book and a cup of coffee. From handcrafted drinks to fresh pastries, brunch favorites, and sandwiches, every item on our menu is made with care and attention to ensure our guests feel at home.

Our team is at the heart of these experiences, and their dedication, warmth, and knowledge turn each visit into something memorable. Whether it’s remembering your usual order or creating a new favorite, they help make Between Friends a trusted and loved part of the community.

We are deeply grateful to all of our guests who voted and continue to support us year after year. This recognition is a reflection of the friendships, smiles, and everyday moments that make our neighborhood—and our coffeehouse—so special. Thank you for making us your neighborhood favorite!

That year, we were proud to receive:
Gold – Best Coffee Shop
Gold – Best Breakfast
Gold – Best Bookstore
Silver – Best Warner Robins Restaurant

Being recognized across multiple categories reflects the many ways our guests experience Between Friends. From early morning coffee and breakfast to quiet afternoons with a book or meals shared with family and friends, these awards represent the moments we are fortunate to be part of every day.

Receiving Gold for Best Bookstore was especially meaningful, as books have always been at the heart of who we are. To be recognized not only for coffee and food but also for fostering a love of reading and gathering reminds us why we started this journey in the first place.

We are grateful to our team, whose dedication and care shape every guest experience, and to every person who voted, visited, and supported us throughout the year. Your encouragement allows us to keep growing while staying true to what matters most—creating a warm, welcoming place where people can gather, connect, and feel at home.

Thank you for being part of our story.

That year, we were proud to be awarded:
Gold – Best Coffee Shop
Gold – Best Breakfast
Gold – Best Dessert
Bronze – Best Bookstore

To be recognized in four different categories—and to receive Triple Gold—was both exciting and deeply meaningful to our entire team. Each category reflects a different part of what makes Between Friends special: carefully prepared coffee, fresh and comforting breakfast, house-made desserts, and a bookstore that celebrates a love of reading.

These awards are a reminder that Between Friends has always been about more than any single menu item or offering. It is about the experience of gathering, sharing time together, and finding a place where you feel comfortable and welcome. Every vote represents someone who chose to spend part of their day with us, and that means more than any trophy or title.

We are grateful to our hardworking team, whose dedication makes these recognitions possible, and to our guests, whose encouragement and support continue to help us grow.

Thank you for being part of our story and for helping make 2023 such a memorable year.

We are grateful to be celebrated for the welcoming atmosphere, carefully crafted beverages, and fresh, comforting food that bring people together at our shop. Whether it’s a morning coffee, a leisurely brunch, or a quiet afternoon with a book, every visit is a chance to connect with friends, family, and the community.

Our team takes pride in creating a space where everyone feels at home, and this award is a reflection of their hard work, care, and dedication. From remembering your favorite drink to greeting you with a smile, the people behind the counter are what make Between Friends a neighborhood favorite.

We want to thank all of our guests who voted, visited, and supported us throughout the year. Your trust, encouragement, and friendship are the reasons we do what we do. Being recognized by our community through the Nextdoor Neighborhood Faves Awards is an honor we celebrate together—and it reminds us why creating a warm, welcoming space has always been at the heart of Between Friends Coffee.

I think of the Johnson family who own Little Sweeties Cakery across town. It all started when I was ten years old…

I met Pamela when I was ten years old. She turned ten a few weeks later. At age ten, you don’t care about things such as skin color. It was summer of 1998 in Cheyenne Wyoming, and our little street was the happening place. That translated to there were a bunch of kids stuffed into small houses with no central air.

Being a parent now, I understand more about what it must have been like. Nowadays I’m not sure if I could usher my kids out the front door and not see them until dinner time. But those were different times. We explored the neighborhood and rode our bikes for miles on end. When her mom had a stroke one day, she and her sister came to my house to stay. My mom let us make our own pizzas out of tortillas. I don’t know why that memory sticks with me. We practiced our clarinets in the evening together. Looking back, our parents probably wanted to throw those woodwinds into the river because we sounded more like squawking birds of prey than anything resembling music in those days.

Pam and I played rec basketball together every chance we could get at the base youth center. We could either be found there or at the movie theater. She introduced me to Destiny’s Child and Sisqo. We played in her backyard and admired her mother’s antiques and treasures in the living room. We watched all of the latest movies because her dad worked at the base theater some nights, so we were always in the know.

But then I moved away. I was suddenly transplanted from the blizzard region of the United States to the beach six weeks before school ended. Pam sent me a yearbook from our seventh-grade junior high school and got all of my friends to sign it. I still have that yearbook. These were the days before social media.

Pam moved to Warner Robins (Georgia) not long after. She and her family came to visit us one day in Florida. We were both wearing makeup and dressed differently than we had at twelve years old, but I knew her voice the moment I heard her walk into the living room. I’m sure I looked quite different from our days wearing snowsuits and puffy jackets. On the beach I wore tank tops and anklets and a puka shell necklace. I still played basketball at the rec center near our house, but I’d traded the clarinet in for a drum set.

Pam excelled in Georgia. She said it was a small town, but everyone was nice. She added that I probably wouldn’t like it because there wasn’t a beach right across the street like there was in Florida. I presumed that she was probably right. But lo and behold if my USAF father didn’t get stationed in that same little Georgia town not long after that conversation. If time made good on its promises, Pam and I would end up graduating together after all.

My first day of eleventh grade was hard, but Pam was there after school asking me how the day went. She invited me to her birthday party and I was one of the few white girls there. I remember feeling out of place, but everyone was kind. I realized that that was how Pam had probably felt growing up in Wyoming. She was always the only person of color in her class. I had never noticed, but I’m sure she had. We never talked about it.

We did graduate high school together and I am so lucky to be able to say that they supported Between Friends Coffee from the beginning. We’ve traded in our basketball shoes for aprons now. We chase our kids instead of the latest band blowing up the billboard charts.

I got a call a year or so ago asking questions about opening their own bakery in town. If you haven’t been there, you should check it out right away. Mrs. Johnson has made my birthday cakes since I was a child. Just last week I heard a voice behind me in line. “I’ve known that voice since I was ten years old,” I grinned.

And there she was, just the same as she has always been.

Between Friends Coffee is located at 1080 Hwy 96 (Suite 100) in Warner Robins, GA.

Little Sweeties Cakery is located at 585 Carl Vinson Pkwy (Suite 400) in Warner Robins, GA.

Rikki has this extraordinary innate way of making you feel seen. She makes you feel special. She makes you feel like you are the only one in her busy café. She sees you not just with her eyes, but with her heart. She makes you feel like you’ve been a regular in her shop since day one. She is the epitome of connection.

She is tough and tenacious and gritty. But she is also good and kind and genuine.

Rikki is the type of person who works in the background and orchestrates great things all over this city without anyone ever knowing. She’s giving, but in a way where she doesn’t draw attention to herself. So many people have giving hearts, but they cancel it out with showmanship and a camera. But not Rikki. She doesn’t need the public satisfaction and the shares on social media to drive her kindness; she just does what she does because she wants to. She makes our community a better place.

I like to escape to her café as often as possible. Locals know that her café, My Grandma’s Empanadas, is a happening place. The tables are always full, it always smells amazing, and people are always happy and full when they leave. The time and effort put into securing the quality ingredients would exhaust anyone else, but Rikki doesn’t cut corners. And while the food is exceptional, the experience of her café is what brings people back. It’s what brings people together. It’s such an extension of herself.

She’s persistent, which is my favorite thing about her. She doesn’t like to hear the word no, and she isn’t afraid of a scuffle. I’ve learned so much from her personally and professionally. I know magic exists, because people like Rikki don’t just appear. She is the hardest working person I know, yet she still takes time to stop and smell the roses along the way. The journey is so much better having a friend like Rikki by your side.

She talks like someone who has lived a hundred lives in one. When you think you know everything about her, you’ve only scratched the surface. She’s a wealth of knowledge and she doesn’t gatekeep it and let you figure things out on your own. Those kind of people rarely exist anymore. That’s one of the many reasons why she and My Grandma’s Empanadas are so successful.

I’ve figured it out. Rikki makes you feel loved.

My Grandma’s Empanadas can be found at 20 S Armed Forces Blvd in Warner Robins, GA

We started our community journal in 2018 after reading “13 Reasons Why.” This journal is full of beautiful poetry, wild rambling, delicate artwork, and tumultuous confessions. This journal is for all of us, friend and stranger, regular and passerby, both known and anonymous.

Four years later, you have all filled that first journal and we’ve opened a second volume. Our community journal has become a source of joy for many. We appreciate every kind word, every story shared, every epic quote, and every daring adventure.

Please feel free to add your own tale to our journal during your visit, whether you are a regular or a new friend just passing through.

We appreciate you. Our world is better with you in it. Thank you for being our Friend.

People like Mike.

Mike owns O’Haras Irish Pub & Restaurant right next to the 911 Memorial. He shared his scrapbook with us, which was such a sobering experience. His restaurant was destroyed on 911, and he lost numerous friends and family on that day, but he rebuilt the shop and honors their memories daily. He remains a staple in his community still to this day.

I found him remarkable. As a fellow restaurant owner, I understood his need to rebuild brick by brick against all odds. His story is tragically beautiful, like so many stories from that time. When the odds were against him, he continued on in the face of calamity and heartbreak.

Be like Mike.

The transition from the long-running Best of the Best awards to Best of Middle Georgia marks a new chapter in celebrating local businesses across the region. We are proud to continue being part of that tradition and to serve a community that values local gathering places.

Winning Gold for Best Coffee Shop reflects the care our team puts into every drink we prepare, from sourcing quality beans to crafting each cup with attention and consistency. Receiving Gold for Best Breakfast is equally meaningful, as our kitchen works every day to offer fresh, comforting meals that bring people together around the table.

These awards belong not only to our team but to the guests who fill our shop with conversation, laughter, and connection. Between Friends has always been about more than coffee or food—it’s about creating a place where people feel welcome, relaxed, and at home.

We are grateful for the friendships we’ve built, the memories shared within our walls, and the continued support of our community. Thank you for being part of our story and for helping us continue to grow, serve, and gather together.