Illinois Cafe Provides Jobs & Community To Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities – CoffeeTalk

Gerry’s Café in Arlington Heights, Illinois, has been recognized as the newest small business inducted into the Illinois Office of Tourism’s Illinois Made program. The coffee shop is known for handcrafting goods in house and offering a variety of sweet and savory items, including breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soups and salads, and popular pastries like muffins, scones, brownies, and large chocolate chip cookies. The café has been providing jobs to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for two years, giving them a place to earn a paycheck and connect with the community.

Co-founder Amy Philpott and fellow co-founder Natalie Griffin first discussed starting a business that would hire adults with special needs in 2017. They were frustrated that many of their students weren’t getting hired despite their potential, and the jobs they were getting were actually unpaid internships or volunteer roles. In 2018, the friends formed the Brewing Opportunities 501(c)(3) nonprofit and recruited a group of fellow volunteers to serve on the board of directors. They held a series of successful fundraisers before finally opening the coffee shop in August 2023.

The business employs 35 adults with disabilities between the ages of 22 to 52, working independently as baristas, cashiers, greeters, bakers, dishwashers, and sandwich and salad makers. A general manager, assistant manager, and two shift supervisors oversee day-to-day operations, training, inventory, and payroll. The founders acknowledge the financial sustainability of Gerry’s Café remains a concern, as they have yet to break even at the register nearly two years in. Payroll costs remain high, and there is great demand for jobs, with a waitlist of 35.

The nonprofit is bolstered by fundraisers, such as a golf outing in June that raised $138,000. Gerry’s Café will be the benefiting organization at Rolling Green Country Club’s annual Charity Classic Sept. 20 and another event is scheduled for December at Arlington Ale House. The big thing has been “just getting people to know that we’re here,” Griffin said. There is a steady stream of customers who regularly frequent the shop, from book club readers to Sunday churchgoers. At the same time, the café has tried to increase its catering business and reach out to companies and chambers of commerce as an option for their breakfast and lunch meetings.

They now hope to get a boost from the Illinois tourism designation.

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