Meet Cheryl Lott of Sweety’s Cafe & tea room

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Lott.

Hi Cheryl, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In the beginning of 2022, I began dreaming of Sweety’s at a moment when most of my children were grown and I was ready for a new chapter after being a stay-at-home mom for about twenty years. I had always loved entertaining at home and dreamed of bringing a café and tea-room style experience to the Canton area—something that simply didn’t exist here at the time. I decided to teach myself everything from the ground up, stepped into entrepreneurship for the first time, and began testing the idea at the Canton Farmers’ Market to see whether there was interest in my made-from-scratch chicken salads. Before long, customers were asking where my shop was located and when I would be opening a permanent space, and the momentum grew faster than I ever expected.

Later that year in September, I partnered with an ice cream shop, and in February of 2023 we opened Sweety’s café and ice cream bar, bringing the concept into a brick-and-mortar location. After my partner stepped away in 2024, I took the opportunity to reflect on the future of the business and the direction I truly wanted it to go.

In 2025, I rebranded and re-imagined the space as Sweety’s café and tea room, shifting the focus toward elevated comfort food and a full afternoon tea experience. As part of that vision, I wanted to bring in Tea Leaves & Thyme—a beloved tea room I had visited many times with my own children and family—and carry forward her legacy. We partnered in a way that allows us to honor that tradition, giving us the opportunity to serve and sell her tea blends while keeping her name and decades of craftsmanship alive.

Today, we serve house-made chicken salads, scoop salads, house-made desserts, craft-made sandwiches, and homemade soups, along with a beautifully curated tea room where guests can enjoy tiered-tray tea services or order café lunch while lingering over a delicately steeped pot of tea. We are also honored to help create memories for guests celebrating birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, engagements, and other special moments in our tea room.

Sweety’s is named after my mother-in-law, Juanita Lott, who has taught me for more than thirty years how to love people through food. Her influence is at the heart of everything we do, from the way we cook to the way we welcome guests through our doors.

What began as a personal leap of faith has grown into a warm, welcoming destination built around hospitality, creativity, and giving people a place to slow down and enjoy time together.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, the journey has not been a smooth one—it has been challenging in many ways. At the same time, it has been incredibly encouraging and deeply fulfilling. Starting a business pushed me far outside my comfort zone and forced me to discover strengths I didn’t know I had.

I had never owned a business before, so learning how to manage finances, legal requirements, and a growing team of ten or more employees was a steep learning curve. While I’ve raised five children—which certainly taught me patience, leadership, and resilience—I don’t have a formal college education or a business degree to rely on. Because of that, I had to become a student of entrepreneurship in every sense: researching constantly, asking other business owners for advice, and surrounding myself with people willing to share their wisdom.

It hasn’t been easy, but it has been incredibly rewarding. One of the greatest joys for me is being able to show people love through food and to help create meaningful experiences—celebrations, gatherings, and moments that become lifelong memories for families. Seeing guests make those connections inside our space reminds me why I started and why the hard work is worth it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Sweety’s is a locally owned café and tea room in Canton, Georgia, built around hospitality, thoughtful food, and creating space for people to slow down and connect. We specialize in house-made chicken salads, scoop salads, homemade soups, craft-made sandwiches, and house-made desserts, along with a full afternoon tea experience served in our tea room.

What makes Sweety’s unique is that we truly operate as a two-sided concept. Guests can stop by our café counter for quick, casual service and enjoy their meal in one of our signature Sweety’s lunchboxes—perfect for taking to-go, enjoying anywhere around The Mill, or bringing back to the office. At the same time, we offer a more leisurely, reservation-based experience in our tea room, where guests can sit in a beautifully decorated space and enjoy tiered-tray tea services or order a café lunch while lingering over a delicately steeped pot of tea.

We are proud to help create memories for guests celebrating birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, engagements, and other special occasions in our tea room.

Our brand is rooted in warmth, nostalgia, and genuine care for our guests. Sweety’s is named after my mother-in-law, Juanita Lott, who taught me how to love people through food, and that philosophy guides everything we do—from the way we prepare our dishes to the way we welcome guests through our doors.

We are especially honored to have our partnership with Tea Leaves & Thyme, a beloved former Woodstock tea room whose blends we now serve and sell, allowing us to honor a long-standing local legacy while introducing those teas to a new generation.

What I want readers to know most is that Sweety’s is more than a place to eat—it’s a place to gather. Whether guests are stopping in for lunch, celebrating a milestone, or enjoying an afternoon tea with friends, our goal is always to create an experience that feels personal, memorable, and full of heart.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
The quality that has mattered most to my success is perseverance paired with a willingness to learn. I stepped into business ownership without formal training or a business degree, so I had to stay curious, ask questions, seek advice from other entrepreneurs, and keep showing up even when things felt overwhelming.

I also believe a genuine love for people and hospitality has been just as important. Sweety’s was built on the idea of caring for guests through food and experience—creating moments where families gather, celebrate, and slow down together. That mindset shapes every decision I make, from how we serve our guests to how I lead my team.

Being open to growth, staying grounded in purpose, and continuing to push forward even when the road is hard has allowed me to build something I’m incredibly proud of.

Pricing:

• Sweety’s Lunchbox $14+
• Tea Expereinces $35+
• Baked Goods $6+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sweetys.net
• Instagram: @sweetyscanton
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetyscanton