A new café and deli is coming to Park Street in Downtown Traverse City this spring. 

Entrepreneur and owner Carolyn Weeks and managing partner Christine Skibowski are projecting an early June opening for Park Street Café, and expect to hit the ground running. “I know it’s tough to get out of the office for a long lunch,” says Weeks. “We will offer grab-and-go foods for busy customers as well as indoor and outdoor (weather permitting) seating for those who want to stay.

“Our goal is to get you quality food, fast.” Customers can grab something cold from the fridge, order online for a quick pickup, or walk up to the counter, says Weeks, who believes that casual shouldn’t mean stale food options and is aiming for great taste and convenience.

A sample menu can be found on the café’s website. Their hours will be Monday–Saturday 6 a.m.–4 p..m and Sunday 7 a.m.–4 p.m. 

We connected with Park Street Café owner Carolyn Weeks to learn a little bit more. 

First, what brings you to Park Street and Downtown Traverse City? Are you a native to the area? 

Derek (my husband) and I have lived in TC for about 24 years. We own the Metal Arts & Home Décor store on Park Street, in addition to Legacy Group, a financial services firm in town.

What inspired the idea for this café?

As local store owners in the area, we personally saw a need for a quick-service breakfast and lunch café in this quadrant of town. We consider ourselves foodies; we want quality ingredients at the best prices we can offer along with convenience. I want the café to be efficient. I want people to be comfortable with walking in, and if they want to stay, have meetings, enjoy the patio and use the WIFI, it’s there. If they need to get back to work, I want them to have the time to do that.

As I’m sure you know, MyNorth and Park Street Café will be neighbors! What can our office and other visitors expect on a trip for lunch?

Lots of options, with fast service. If you’re in a hurry, feel free to order online in advance, so you can just pick it up at the counter. We will be using the best lunch meats and breads we can find. Our goal is to have minimally processed ingredients without the fillers.

Any special menu items that you’re dying to tell us about? 

My personal favorite is going to be the chicken and waffle sandwich for lunch. If you ask my husband, he’s all about the Cuban sandwich! There’s going to be some incredible burritos for breakfast, in addition to some great pastries. Chocolate Croissants. Need I say more?

When can we expect an opening? 

Our goal is early June, but that’s going to depend on how quickly the health department approves our plan. This is a small space that we are packing a lot into!

Anything else you’d like to share with our audience? 

We really are focused on quality. We’ve spent this week at barista training. Not only learning how to make the best coffee drinks but learning about all aspects of coffee. If all you want is to come by in the morning for a cup of black coffee, we’ll have it. But we’ll also have you covered if you’re looking for a delicious mocha. And we will make sure it the best. The same goes for our salads and sandwiches. We are pouring our hearts into the selection of the ingredients.

Every aspect of this café is planned with downtown employees in mind. We want what is convenient for you. Once we get our feet under us, we’ll even be exploring delivery to the downtown area.

Photo(s) by Todd Zawistowski