We had a new bakery cafe open up in town last week. It is the third similar
venture to open up in the area in the last year. I don't know how many the
town can support, but we figured we'd try it out on the weekend. They sell
three types of bread, whole wheat, sourdough and rye, and all were
fantastic, though a little pricey. They baked goods were amazing and the
coffee was really good.

One major problem was seating. There was one long table, two tables for
two and a counter by the window with seating for 4 or 5. There was room
for another table but instead they had a little play area for children with
kid size table, an easel with a chalk board and a box of toys.

I am sure there will be a difference of opinion on this one, but it was a
warnings signal for me. I used to frequent a local coffee shop that had a
pretty good business with the locals. It was where all the guys in town
went for coffee and breakfast. The regulars were the local electricians,
plumbers, repairmen, salesmen etc. The people who work locally and are on
the road and need a place to go for coffee other than the franchises. I
used to go there for coffee when I was working in the area. Then a group of
young mothers started meeting there. They would sit around and drink their
coffee, usually just coffee. Few had snacks and I never saw any of them
having breakfast or lunch. While they were chatting away their kids were
running loose in the place. Maybe women can tolerate screeching children
more than men, or consider it part of life. It isn't for working guys who
are there for a coffee break. The guys stopped going and the place went
under.

I am not recommending that they not allow children. What I suggest is that
they replace the play area with a table or two so that paying customers
have a place to sit and enjoy their coffee. even more important, I think
they should not be encouraging the parents to send their children over
there to play. Other customers have enough trouble with kids running back
and forth, but some of us are miserable old buggers who have zero tolerance
for children screeching, and little appreciation for parents yelling at
their children to behave.

It's a nice place and great place to go and read the newspaper with a
coffee and a snack, but if there are yards apes running around in there I
want nothing to do with it.