Community support meets comforting eats at After 26 Depot Café, a Northern Michigan restaurant inside a renovated 1915 railroad depot.
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Tucked inside the historic Ann Arbor Railroad Depot in Cadillac (constructed in 1915), After 26 Depot Café offers a healthy serving of 20th-century architecture; sky-high ceilings, exposed brick walls, angular floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s even a patio platform overlooking the still-standing railroad tracks.
Inside, guests fuel their engines with fresh-casual breakfast and lunch selections. Staples include build-your-own omelettes, à la carte baked goods (cinnamon rolls, English muffins, biscuits) and maple syrup–topped chicken and waffles; as well as hearty handhelds (think bacon jam burgers and chicken curry wraps) and the wildly-popular Cherry Grove salad.
But while you might come for a tasty meal, it’s the café’s mission that’ll have you hooked.
The eatery offers employment opportunities for developmentally and cognitively impaired adults. Established in 2013, Cadillac’s After 26 Project was inspired by The Junction of Hope in Chesaning—the nation’s first nonprofit 501 (c)(3) restaurant—and launched by a team of local board members to support and empower the community.
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
For context: those with developmental impairments age out of Michigan public schools when they turn 26. Consequently, they often stay at home or lack new learning opportunities. “Our mission is to give them purpose and really feel integrated in the general population,” explains General Manager Molly Mackey.
To accomplish this, the café not only encourages “project workers” to engage with diners but also provides the tools for them to develop intrapersonal skills and ideally the independence to eventually manage a solo position.
The concept has been a huge success. In fact, Mackey says, several local businesses have since hired After 26 graduates. More importantly, though, the café has helped contribute to a culture of acceptance. “We have such gracious community support,” she adds. “The program allows our guests to see what these project workers have to offer, and in turn, shows our project workers that the universe isn’t a big scary place.”
After 26 Depot Café
127 W. Cass Street, Cadillac
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Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner