icon next to each of them.
Big news for parents: the playroom at S&K is closed as of today. A local mom (thanks, Camille!) emailed me the information from a flyer that she received at S&K this morning.
Dear valued Sip & Kranz Customer,
Since the opening of Sip & Kranz, our cafe has had the luxury of a playroom for children. Unfortunately, in these difficult economic times we are now forced to close the playroom so that we can open the space to all Sip & Kranz customers. Therefore, we are informing you that as of Friday January 16, all Sip and Kranz customers will have access to the cafe and we will not longer have a playroom dedicated to children alone.We regret the necessity of making this change and ask for your understanding. Thank you for your patrongage. We look forward to seeing you again soon.
Sincerely,
Angelika J. Stelter aj@Sipandkranz.com
Sirpa Kosonen sirpa@Sipandkranz.com
I am willing to offer my expertise to anyone who wants to open a child friendly coffee house in the Pearl. Seriously, what a shame.
@Camille It's a total shame. But, I'm sure that S&K is still child friendly. Unfortunately, they just can't provide the play space. Time will tell how and if this move will impact their business. We certainly wish them well.
i would love to help out.
Chanda and Max (9 months)
As a Pearl professional and coffee lover, I must say this is good news. I tried to frequent Sip & Kranz on a few occasions but spent my time in line - or worse, sat through a lunch - surrounded by strollers and screaming children. Even the employees seemed relieved to see that I did not have a child in town on my few stop-ins. Maybe I'll give the establishment another try...
Dear Pearl Professional,
I'm pleased you are happy. I understand what a struggle it is to find a coffee shop in the neighborhood without a playroom.
As for me, it was the only reason I ever went there.
Best of luck to them though
It's also a shame when there are parents who think that the place was a daycare or that as soon as they walked through the door, then the parenting stopped. It is a great idea, though. Kids and coffee for moms who stay home or have alternate schedules.
How much more business do they think they're going to get? Let's face it -the food is terrible, the service wasn't usually that good...the playroom was the only reason to go there. We were regulars, but we certainly won't be anymore.
So does this mean they're opening the playroom to adults now? Can't wait to see that! Guess they'll have to change the name from Sip & Kranz, eh? This place has been special for us because it offered something for everyone--kids could play, and adults could mingle and enjoy coffee. Without the play area, we see no reason to go back. The food is terrible, the place is often dirty and unkempt...we'll be taking our business elsewhere. But where?
Okay World Cup in the same neighborhood closed and last time I tried Acorn had closed as well (and they had the best tasting coffee and great service)-S&K will be next by alienating customers. I would go to S&K twice a month for mommy groups, and the rest of the time on a whim. Rather than shut down the playroom why not charge us parents to use it like they do at the Burger King on Barber. Or like World Cup charges for the cupping room on 18th, charge groups to rent the space, but you can reserve in advance. Be honest the service was painfully slow. During the last snow storm Starbucks was open S&K was closed with no sign on the door on December 24th. The first year S&K was open they were almost always out of food when I went in the afternoons-times are hard and people are making more drip at home.
This space's destiny? Early and late hours (5 a.m.) breakfast place that's not snooty and has a good balance between affordability and quality. The neighborhood is lousy with high end coffee palaces. Time to get practical.