Construction is still ongoing at the Bob Crane Community Center in Upper Arlington. The building will include standard recreation center amenities such as fitness equipment and a swimming pool, but a café is also included in the design.
The entrepreneurs behind Bake Me Happy, a local, gluten-free bakery, are opening a café featuring coffee, smoothies and grab-and-go meals sourced from local businesses. The entire menu will not be 100% gluten-free, but treats from Bake Me Happy will also be sold.
Upper Arlington City Council formally approved a three-year contract with Bake Me Happy on Monday evening.
The city and the business could have a symbiotic relationship: Potential customers could come from the people at the community center, and the café could help draw in people, City Manager Steve Schoeny said.
That’s part of making the community center as multifunctional as possible.
“It shouldn't just be a building that's there for a few users; we want to have as many people in there as we can have coming into the building,” Schoeny said.
Why Bake Me Happy is setting up a café in Upper Arlington
Incorporating a café into the community center has been a part of the design of the building. The center's name is intentional; the city wants it to be more than a place to work out and go swimming, Schoeny said.
The city had several requests for proposals that didn’t get any responses. Schoeny said some businesses initially approached the city but felt apprehensive about envisioning the small space within the larger structure.
Bake Me Happy was the most-qualified business with which city officials spoke when figuring out who could be a good operator of the café, Schoeny said. The business has previous experience in starting up concepts in smaller spaces, such as at the North Market and a stint selling at OSU football games .
“I'm used to working in tighter quarters: Bake Me Happy used to have a concession stand at the Horseshoe, and we generated quite a bit of revenue out of that space — you’ve just got to know how to set it up the right way,” co-owner, Letha Pugh said.
None of the meals will be prepared in the small space, about 600 square feet. Pugh said her connections with local businesses that can make the grab-and-go meals will make the business setup easier.
“It's going to be a lift, but it's not going to be a huge lift,” Pugh said.
What the concept will look like
The café will be constructed behind a counter at the community center. Patrons can mingle in a seating area with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Schoeny said the city is buying most of the heavy equipment, such as fridges, while Bake Me Happy is responsible for the countertop appliances such as the espresso machine.
As an incentive, rent to the city will be free for 2025. In 2026, rent will be 10% of the café’s sales. That rate will continue into 2027, but 20% will be assessed if sales surpass $600,000 in the year.
Access to most of the facilities at the building will require a day or monthly pass, but the café area is open to the public.
When the facility is completed next spring, the hours for the café are slated to be between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Pugh said at a council meeting earlier this month.
awinfrey@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Bake Me Happy planning cafe in Upper Arlington community center opening next spring
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