One of Huntsville’s most beloved neighborhood eateries is expanding into Five Points, with Good Company Cafe set to take over the former 1892 East building and introduce a brand new dinner restaurant alongside its second cafe location.
Good Company Cafe owner and founder Angela Lindbeck and her husband, chef and proprietor John Lindbeck, confirmed they will open a second cafe location on the left side of the historic Pratt Avenue building, while the right side, formerly home to 1892, will become Etta’s Tavern, a new dinner-focused concept inspired by Southern comfort, nostalgia, and community gathering.
The building, which stretches beyond the familiar corner entrance at Pratt Avenue, includes two commercial kitchens, allowing both concepts to operate under one roof.
“We’re opening a second location for the cafe, but we’re also opening a dinner restaurant out of the same building,” Angela Lindbeck said. “The cafe will be Good Company Cafe, and the dinner spot will be Etta’s Tavern, like Etta James.”
The cafe will occupy the former private event space, while Etta’s Tavern will bring new life to the dining room longtime Huntsville residents associate with 1892.
A polished dinner concept rooted in familiar flavors
While still in development, Etta’s Tavern is envisioned as a more grown-up, polished extension of the Good Company philosophy, centered on approachable, Southern-inspired dishes and shared experiences.
“Our mission has always been good food, good service, good company,” Lindbeck said. “That really became the heart of Etta’s as well.”
The menu will include nostalgic recipes and personal callbacks, blending comfort food with elevated execution. Planned dishes include Granny’s chicken casserole, red wine braised beef and grits, and familiar favorites like Good Company’s sausage balls. Some items have already been featured on the couple’s catering and wedding menus.
“It’s kind of a hodgepodge of really well-done flavors that everybody knows and everybody loves,” Lindbeck said.
Expanding a community-first brand
Good Company Cafe opened in 2018 after Lindbeck and her husband, John, both formerly of Mezzaluna, built the business with an emphasis on hospitality as a sustainable career and a healthy workplace culture.
“We wanted to provide restaurant work that doesn’t come with a negative connotation,” Lindbeck said. “Not abusive environments, not late nights that burn people out, but an actual career path.”
That philosophy has resonated with customers, many of whom have grown alongside the cafe.
“We’ve seen first dates, proposals, weddings, first children, second children,” she said. “We’ve almost watched generations of people come through.”
The Five Points Good Company Cafe location will offer more indoor seating and will serve alcohol, allowing for a more comfortable year-round dining experience.
Opening timeline
The new Good Company Cafe location is expected to open in late spring, with Etta’s Tavern following approximately one month later. Both openings are anticipated in late spring or early summer.
“We’ve been working on this since last summer,” Lindbeck said. “We’re just excited to keep growing and to get to know the Five Points community.”
Lindbeck said the former owner of 1892 was intentional about passing the space to another locally owned, community-focused business. The Five Points favorite for nearly 15 years, 1892 East closed in May of 2025.
“He really wanted to make sure the building went to another small business that was community minded and wanted to see Five Points thrive,” she said. “We’re really thankful for that.”
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