Urbean Cafe

The Urbean Café blends a strong business with employability training to serve a satisfying product to our community.

At first glance, the Urbean Café will appear to be an upscale coffee shop in a bustling location. A closer look reveals there is somethin’ MORE brewing!

Urban Connection Ministries will soon operate the Urbean Café in the Metro Regional Transit Authority’s recently opened Intermodal Transit Center in downtown Akron. While patrons enjoy a great cup of coffee and a light meal, those treats will be prepared and served by people enrolled in employability training, a core component of Urban Connection Ministries’ focus.

Strong business

On average, 4,600 people use the Intermodal Transit Center every day and expert analysis suggests that 10 percent of the visitors will purchase something as they utilize the facility. That expected level of activity provides a high probability of success when the Urbean Café opens for business in September, 2009.

Since the Intermodal Transfer Center’s opening in January, 2009, the facility has received much press coverage and is quickly becoming a hub for the city. It serves as a more than a place to “catch a bus”—it is a model of wise planning and self sustaining government projects.

Employability training

Urban Connection sees job training as a vital step in the process of overcoming poverty, and the Urbean Café will be the foundation for people willing to work to rebuild their lives. The ministry’s history includes working with families by mentoring students, assisting educators and training parents.

Satisfying product

As the sole retail food outlet in the facility, we recognize that our success hinges on producing products people enjoy. We have worked hard to create the right mix of offerings and have consulted experts on the best ways to prepare our items and create an inviting environment. The heart of the program is job training, but the implications of serving the community in the name of Jesus is an amazing opportunity.