Reveille Joe Coffee Shop Honors All Who Served

By Austin Fulwider

            MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Matthew O’Dell, a local veteran of the United States Marine Corps, recently opened the Reveille Joe coffee shop on Murfreesboro’s city square as a place of refuge for all who have served.

              The idea for the shop first came to O’Dell’s mind while he was deployed in the deserts of Afghanistan as a military contractor.  He had decided that he no longer wanted to stay on his current path as a military professional, but wanted to continue to provide service for the men and women of the military as a civilian.  One idea that came to mind was to provide a place of solace and peace for veterans in the form of a coffee shop.

            “I knew that I still wanted to maintain a relationship with military veterans and their families and help them in any way I could,” said O’Dell. “I had the idea of a coffee shop because they are generally comfortable spaces, a place where people can just come and enjoy a cup of coffee.”

            The shop is also a place where people who have never personally been in the military are inspired to support those who serve.  Today, when a person enters Reveille Joe, he or she is greeted by a military-themed atmosphere accented by photographs of those who have served, patriotic posters, and newspaper clippings from World War II. There is even a slideshow of

 O’Dell’s time in Afghanistan.  Even the name “Reveille Joe” holds personal meaning to those who have served.

            “’Reveille Joe’ is a multi-faceted name,” explains O’Dell. “’Reveille’ means ‘to wake up’ in French and is also the name of the bugle call that wakes up the base and lets everyone know it’s time to start the day. ‘Joe’ is a generic term for military personnel, like ‘GI Joe’, and has also been a term for coffee from the soldiers of World War II.”

            However, the name holds an even more valuable personal meaning for O’Dell, as it gave him the chance to spotlight the biggest influence in his life, his grandfather Joe Padgett.

            “He was one of those people that everyone looked up to, no matter how big or small of a blessing he gave someone,” remembered O’Dell. “He left a legacy that people could pass on through generations, and that’s what I wanted to do with Reveille Joe, let people know of the type of man he was.”

Owner Matthew O'Dell Behind the Counter

            The legacy and influence of his grandfather is evident in O’Dell’s commitment to the main mission of Reveille Joe: to give comfort to veterans and support those who are in military service.  He wants to make the shop a place of connectivity and community for veterans.  At Reveille Joe, veterans and military personnel can connect to organizations such as the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, VA Hospitals, and the Veterans Affairs Department. 

            “My whole job, aside from running a coffee shop, is to go out and find the information for the military veterans and their families so that they don’t have to go everywhere to get answers and support, and they could just come to one central location,” stressed O’Dell.

            As for the future of the shop, he hopes to connect to even more organizations, including the Bravo organization for Middle Tennessee State University veterans, and also sponsor events that will benefit local veterans.  One such event is “Operation: Adopt a Hero”, a project that helps veterans in nursing homes cope during the holidays. To participate, any individual or business can simply go to Reveille Joe and draw the name of a veteran in need.  That individual or business will then fill a stocking with $20 of simple gifts and write a letter to the veteran thanking them for their service.

            “One of the worst things that can happen to a person is get to the end of their life and feel like they have been forgotten,” said O’Dell. “One of the things that we want to help eliminate is that hopelessness and that feeling of being alone.”

            Reveille Joe offers items that appeal to the taste of everyone.  Besides coffee, the shop also offers sandwiches, Rev Pockets, varied pastries, and many varieties of dessert.  However, most people are quick to try O’Dell’s signature beverage, the “Reveccino”.  You can also learn more about Reveille Joe at its website www.reveillejoe.com.

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