Mobile coffee has always been there. A proud tradition of coffee carts, coffee trailers, coffee vans, you name it—coffee on the road has become an artwork all its own. But sometimes even the most hardened road dog needs to settle down, and that’s the case here with Steady Hand Cafe, which started life as a mobile cafe and bottled coffee service. Here in 2025 they’re setting up to launch their very first brick and mortar—”five years in the making”—and they’re doing it with an intention and vision that’s rare to find in any version of coffee service. Let’s head down the shore to learn more.
As told to Sprudge by Ashley Burk.
The 2025 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ceado, and Dona.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Steady Hand Cafe began in 2020 as a mobile cafe and bottled latte delivery service and has since grown into a multi-cart operation offering services to large-scale music festivals, as well as a seasonal poolside residency at The St. Laurent Social Club in Asbury Park, NJ and now, as of May 2025, the brand expanded into its first brick-and-mortar location, offering a more permanent home for its steady, design-driven approach to coffee in Bradley Beach, NJ. Alongside the cafe, Steady Hand is also home to The Good Good—a line of bottled, barista-crafted syrups inspired by culinary technique, cocktails, and nostalgic flavors, made with real ingredients and a creative spirit.
Ashley Burk is the founder and creative director of Steady Hand Cafe. With a background in culinary arts and creative direction, Ashley brings a thoughtful, expressive approach to every aspect of the brand—from flavor development and recipe creation to visual identity and customer experience. Her work blends intention with play, resulting in a coffee experience that feels both elevated and approachable. Through Steady Hand, Ashley has built a brand that values consistency, creativity, and community.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
For me, this was a space that was five years in the making. I had an idea of how I wanted it to look in my head and I only hoped it would all come together cohesively. And well, it did! The vision for the cafe interior was always to be equal parts function and form: No unnecessary bulk. Seating that is sleek but also serves as storage, clean and light with warm wood tones and pops of color and unexpected fun EVERYWHERE. I wanted the space to make anyone’s inner child come alive with curiosity and excitement. It’s a space meant to be experienced fully. From the white oak wood grain as the foundation of all the furniture, the stunning artwork full of color and movement, to the silk tapestry installation I designed and commissioned Dallas Hlatky of Merle Works to dye for the project that moves as the air flows from the front or back door being opened. We’re using refrigerator magnets letters as our menu with a little collection of trinkets on the partition wall above it where folks can add to the collection, the bathroom is an explosion of color and fun- from the disco ball above the toilet to the shadow box window filled with colorful plants and a suncatcher privacy screen that casts magical rainbows in the room when the sun hits the window at the right angle.
Then we completely redid the backyard! Rebuilt garden boxes and made them seat height so folks can sit along the sides of them while enjoying their coffee. We have yet another disco ball hung above the cafe lights the are strewn across the space for evening events we’ll surely have. Reeds surround the entire space to create a nestled little private space that backs up to our neighbor (a brewery)’s beer garden. We’re growing wildflowers, herbs that we’ll use when we introduce food, edible flowers for garnishing, vegetables and a cute little fig tree and blueberry bush. The space overall is MAGICAL. It totally took on a playful life of it’s own as soon as I allowed myself to just trust my inner creative self to make decisions from a place of fun before anything else. All in all…the space is small but it’s so unique in many ways.
What’s your approach to coffee?
Playful. Playful with how it’s delivered visually, in how the coffee interacts with the ingredients we integrate into our drinks alongside it. I treat coffee as I would an ingredient in a recipe for a meal or a cocktail. Sometimes you want it to be the main character, and sometimes it’s the supporting role. And how I approach coffee service overall? No barriers, no gatekeeping. We’re opening the doors and airing out the old stagnant “too cool” vibe of coffee service. Inclusivity, kindness, warmth, openness. We’re here to gladly serve an ingredient, a crop, a commodity, that was cultivated by other people whose entire lives is this plant. The least we could do is honor it and open others up to it’s beauty.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
We hired NJ Espresso Mechanics to refurb a 2008 three-group La Marzocco Linea Classic that was color matched and powder coated to match my dream car, a 1970’s Volvo 145 in the color “green”. She’s dreamy.
How is your project considering sustainability?
We rebuilt our entire back garden to house garden beds to grow wild flowers we can use in the space for decor, edible flowers for garnish, vegetables to be used for toast specials, as well as herbs to be used as ingredients in our drinks.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We opened in May 2025 after getting the keys in March and had three months of wild and crazy turn around! Seriously, when you see the before and after…it’s wild!
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Yes! Our millwork was done by Resolute Woodworking, espresso machine refurb and powder coating by NJ Espresso Mechanics, the silk wall art installation I designed was dyed by a local artist- Dallas Hlatky of Merle Works. The large print artwork behind the bar is by Grown Wild Studio, the bottle labels of our barista crafted flavor syrups called The Good Good are designed by A.Crosby Studio.
Thank you!
Thank YOU!
Steady Hand Cafe is located at 710 Main St, Bradley Beach. Visit their official website and follow them on Instagram.
The 2025 Build-Outs of Coffee is sponsored by Pacific Barista Series, La Marzocco, Ceado, and Dona.