The Circus Cooperative Cafe — situated within the just lately closed Darwin’s cafe and run by a few of its former staff — opened Sept. 12 on the outskirts of Harvard Sq. after a gentle opening two days earlier for family and friends.
The co-op is situated on 31 Putnam Ave., the positioning of one of many four Darwin’s locations that shuttered late last year. Following the closures, a small group of former Darwin’s staff began plans to open a worker-owned cafe and raised simply over $13,000 on GoFundMe.
Co-owner Caleb S. Zedek mentioned the day of the grand opening was “loopy.”
“There have been like 20 individuals within the door within the first quarter-hour. We offered out of pastries in, I feel, 40 minutes,” Zedek mentioned. “Now we have constantly heard from clients that they’re extremely pleased that there’s a restaurant within the neighborhood once more.”
The Circus Cooperative Cafe takes its identify from what many staff noticed because the circus-like environment of the previous Darwin’s places.
The co-op’s group of 4 has since added two new individuals and is in search of a pair extra staff, based on Zedek.
Everybody who joins the cooperatively-owned cafe will probably be on “an possession monitor,” Zedek mentioned. Throughout the preliminary six-month employment interval, new staff get to know the enterprise whereas the present homeowners be sure that they “slot in with the tradition.” After that, there is a chance for possession for every employee.
“I feel our objective, on the very least, is to show that worker possession is a viable mannequin,” Zedek mentioned.
Zedek mentioned he hopes the members of the Circus Cooperative Cafe generally is a “useful resource” for future teams of staff who might have help “determining buying a enterprise that they know and love.”
Whereas the co-owners have all labored at a restaurant earlier than, Zedek mentioned the group remains to be “studying as we go.”
On the shop’s food and drinks picks, Zedek mentioned the menu at Circus is a bit smaller than it was at Darwin’s and that it’s extra “streamlined.” Along with the usual cafe beverage and pastry choices, there are sandwiches acquainted to former Darwin’s clients in addition to some model new selections.
“We wished individuals to have the ability to are available in and nonetheless discover a few the sandwiches that they’re used to having fun with,” Zedek mentioned. “Now we have additionally added a few sandwiches of our personal.”
Zedek talked about the Go Chu sandwich specifically, which is a hen salad sandwich with gochujang mayo, slightly little bit of cilantro, and “some actually unbelievable selfmade pickles.”
Emma Atlas, an area resident who grew up visiting Darwin’s, described the cafe as a “cozy, good place to do work.”
“However I’ve a little bit of a particular place in my coronary heart for Darwin’s, so it’s a bit exhausting coming right here figuring out it’s not the identical — however it’s related,” she mentioned.
Zedek mentioned the group aspired for the Circus Cafe to turn into a “group house.” Inside, there’s a shelf the place clients can go away “books, zines, artwork” to share with the neighborhood. The cafe will quickly carry copies of the Boston Compass, an area newspaper.
Ellen Frith, a Cambridge resident, spoke in regards to the Circus Cooperative Cafe’s house as having been a “gathering place for a very long time.” The situation’s earlier two tenants — Petsi Pies and Darwin’s — had been each espresso outlets.
“It’s simply I feel necessary to have a neighborhood gathering and a spot for individuals to get to know one another and possibly be capable of have an effect on some modifications,” Frith mentioned.
—Crimson employees author Caroline Okay. Hsu could be reached at caroline.hsu@thecrimson.com.
