Scottsdale brothers Craig and Grant Logan have been in many rooms across the country, from East Asia to New York, Seattle and now Tempe, where they opened Buffables Café at 1325 W. University in Tempe.
But the brothers want to ensure that they aren’t just opening another café, and are committed to bringing the highest quality of food from around the world to Tempe.
“The sourcing isn’t easy,” Craig said. “Time is something you have to sacrifice because if you want the quality and the better ingredients you have to spend the time looking for it.”
The brothers grew up with their father in the hotel business and lived in parts of China, Thailand and Singapore. Craig can frequently be seen on the café’s social media platforms speaking Mandarin and making drinks with their homemade syrups and authentic Japanese ceremonial-grade matcha.
His connections have taken him far as well.
Before opening, Craig worked for Boeing and would frequently go to Japan for his job. Now, he stays in touch with friends from high school when he lived in China and is connected to a small farm from outside Tokyo.
Buffables harvested all of its matcha this spring and summer and flies it in directly from the farm, creating a farm-to-table drink unique to the brand.
Though the brothers are passionate about ingredients that come from crops to cup, Craig says that affordability is still a concern.
“I would rather make less money for a drink and have someone come multiple times a week than charge $12 for a drink and customers can only afford to come once a week,” he said.
The café sits between downtown Tempe and State Route 143. Lots of commercial space is also in that area, which Craig says makes for many employees and business owners coming for lunch and looking for new flavors in the middle of their workday.
The Logan brothers were also inspired by flavors from across the country, as they sampled a pickle drink at a restaurant convention and decided to put their own spin on Lotus Energy drink, typically mixed with fruit flavors, by adding pickle and lime juice to make a less sweet and more salty concoction.
It was experiences like this, Craig said, that helped them come up with the name.
If something can be “buffed,” it can be polished or made to look shiny. Craig said that this inspired them as every dish and drink on the menu can be improved by ingredients, presentation and taste — something that Grant Logan works endlessly to achieve.
Grant, who’s two years younger than Craig, is often working in the back of house, experimenting with flavors and trying new recipes.
Grant lived in New York and Seattle before moving to Arizona, working corporate jobs and was stuck on what to do next.
“I quit my corporate job and I realized that I have always enjoyed going to coffee shops and I wanted to make a third space that people felt comfortable in,” he said.
The space is full of pops of color with orange hues. It also has plenty of seating for the work-from-home crowd, or just to meet up with a friend.
Buffables is open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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