Breaking Bread leaders say the cafe will reopen in April

The cafe will switch to counter service when it reopens. Photo by David Pierini

By Abdi Mohamed Staff Reporter

After seven months of temporary closure, leaders of Breaking Bread Cafe say it will reopen on April 6. According to Appetite for Change (AFC), the cafe's parent nonprofit, some big changes will enable Breaking Bread to operate more sustainably.

Michelle Horovitz, the co-founder and executive director of AFC, says there will be no more table service. A “casual counter service model” where customers order at the counter and take a number back to their table will be the new norm. 

Horovitz says fundraising has been essential to reopening efforts. “I’ve been involved in the fundraising efforts to make sure that the model is well positioned to have a good base,” Horovitz said. She pointed to “long-standing partners” having helped increase their capacity to open the restaurant. These partners include the Jay and Rose Phillips Foundation of Minnesota, a funder of this publication, the Cargill Foundation, Otto Bremer Trust and the Pohlad Family Foundation.

Although the favorites on the menu will stay, there will be more distinction made in the kind of food served at Breaking Bread. “The new menu is going to really pay homage to black Americans and black American cooking in the United States,” Horovitz said. She raised the issue of distinguishing between southern food and soul, between Caribbean and barbecue which have more regional and cultural histories.

Darryl Lindsey,  general manager at Breaking Bread and the chief programming officer at AFC,  points to the adult training program as one of the major reasons Breaking Bread had to be closed. It cost too much. He says the organization decided to cut back on that program and invest resources elsewhere. “That was one of the things that cost us quite a bit of money by putting that training on,” Lindsey said. 

The restaurant space has also been known for hosting several popup events for entrepreneurs to utilize the space and draw in customers. Lindsey says that goal is still a part of AFC’s mission. “We really want to continue lifting up the up and coming chefs and other food vendors in our area,” he said.

As they prepare to reopen Breaking Bread, AFC has opened a new venture, Station 81, inside the Union Depot in Saint Paul. Many former employees of Breaking Bread will find new work there.