\n\t\t<\/aside>\nIn an interview with The Daily, Ann Arbor resident Shamus Craft said the cafe\u2019s location makes it a convenient stop for locals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a great location,\u201d Craft said. \u201cI can\u2019t speak for other folks, but there seems to be a lot of foot traffic down here. I myself come down (to) this area a lot just to walk around and see what storefronts are out, see what\u2019s new.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an email to The Daily, Operations Manager Amelia Pointer wrote in addition to families, students have also quickly become the core of the cafe\u2019s customer base.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also been seeing regulars already, which is amazing \u2014 it\u2019s been so much fun getting to know the families in the area,\u201d Pointer wrote. \u201cBut we have found that there are students that come to study; we tend to be less busy than some other cafes, especially around nap time, so we\u2019re a reliable space for some good coffee and snacks while working on homework or studying.\u201d<\/p>\n
In an email to The Daily, Rackham student Himani Jasewicz, who visited the cafe with her husband and children, said the space provided a rare balance between parenting and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cMy husband and I were able to chat, and I was able to get some schoolwork done while the kids independently played,\u201d Jasewicz wrote.<\/p>\n
Pointer also explained the extensive staff training that went into preparing for the opening, from coffee and wine education to child care experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we opened, we had our entire staff do trainings with both Hyperion (our espresso supplier) and Spencer (who helped us determine our wine selection),\u201d Pointer wrote. \u201cWe also did several training sessions leading up to open running through logistics; how to balance between being behind the counter and in the space, how to read the space and gauge customer needs based on what they see. Most of our employees come from child care backgrounds as well, and everyone enjoys working with children, so that was incredibly helpful as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the cafe\u2019s partnerships with local businesses for their wine<\/a> and coffee<\/a>, Recess Cafe offers baked goods from CRUST<\/a>. Nichols said she wanted to prioritize higher quality rather than prepackaged items on the food menu and ensuring environmental sustainability.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew we wanted to stay pretty local, and so through that, we looked at a handful of distributors for food and for pastries, and then I also knew that we wanted a menu that was a little nicer than what you traditionally find, so less pre-packaged items,\u201d Nichols said. \u201cI really focused a lot on not having a lot of plastic things. We\u2019re making this space for kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\nJasewicz wrote that her family plans to return because of their positive experience that she feels is worth the price.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this caf\u00e9 is wonderful and would come again,\u201d Jasewicz wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s on the steeper side price-wise since it\u2019s priced by the hour, but the kids enjoyed it enough that we would return.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daily Staff Reporter Kayla Lugo can be reached at <\/em>klugo@umich.edu<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n
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