food + drink / must-t y
Taylor Kyle is excited to bring her new business, Eastown Cereal Café, to the Eastown neighborhood.
"This location is a perfect location for my business ... The community is welcoming and lovely, and I think it’s a great place for me to grow." Taylor Kyle
MUST-TRY
Cereal café joins Eastown An area teen launches her first business. BY ALLIE OUENDAG
// PHOTO BY ANGELA CICCU
At just 17, Taylor Kyle is balancing both life as a senior at East Kentwood High School and as a business owner of the recently opened Eastown Cereal Café. The 1,000-square-foot space, at 1505 Wealthy St. SE, is the first cereal bar of its kind in Grand Rapids. The café offers breakfast lovers classics that include namebrand cereals, oatmeal, bagels, muffins, toast and grits, as well as a variety of milk, coffees and juices from which to choose. Kyle originally got the idea for opening a cereal bar from traveling and seeing other businesses with similar concepts and thought it would be a great addition to Grand Rapids. As one of the more diverse neighborhoods in the city, Eastown was a natural fit for Kyle when it came time to open the café. “This location is a perfect location for my business considering the other small businesses surrounding it. The community is welcoming and lovely, and I think it’s a 32
great place for me to grow,” said Kyle. Kyle is lucky to have the support of her parents — experienced business owners themselves — to guide her through the process of opening the café. They currently own KD’s Sports Bar in Wyoming. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic hindering some of her plans, Kyle is optimistic about her ability to get the café up and running.
“The pandemic has been a little hassle but I’m taking all the precautions to make sure I have a safe environment for the customers and my employees,” she said. The café will offer both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a walk-up window for customer orders. “I am very excited to open up the space, and I really hope it will be enjoyed by people across the Grand Rapids area,” Kyle said.
GRAND RAPIDS MAGAZINE / MARCH 2021
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2/8/21 11:19 AM
