That is a question that I get asked very frequently when I tell people that I have a play café. "Is that like an indoor play gym with slips and rock climbing structures and trampolines?" I guess that is what happens if you introduce an entirely new idea to your city.
Indoor playgrounds have existed for a little while, and there are lots of of these in our town of Burlington and arcade game - https://www.twitarcade.com, neighbouring cities of Oakville and Hamilton. They are the places that you take your children to when they want to burn off their energy if it's too cold outside to go to the park, or when you don't need them to tear your house apart. They're the places where your children can run around through mazes, climb ropes, slide down slides and let out all the crazy!
It was actually at an indoor park the idea of Chickadee Family Cafe was born in my mind. I'd taken my then two-and-a-half year old to a favorite indoor play space in our hometown Burlington and tried to keep him up as he ran down slides and through mazes. I crouched into miniature corners chasing my little guy around and came out utterly exhausted (proceed, insert jokes about how out of shape I am here).
As soon as I arose in the drama structures, I looked around me at the other parents. Many were standing about trying to keep a visual on their kids' whereabouts. Some were calling their kids' names, hoping that they were not stuck in a maze...'cause c am on, we all know no adult wants to need to climb all the way up those structures to retrieve a crying child. Mostly, they looked exhausted and tired. Perhaps their children woke up at 6am too.
Do not get me wrong, there was plenty of laughter and giggles. I had fun with my son, which was the main aim of visiting the indoor playground, but in a place filled with other moms and dads around my age with children around my son's age, there was a massive opportunity for building connection with my community that I felt was completely missed. As a new resident of Burlington I wanted to associate with other parents. However, the air did not really lend itself to using an actual conversation.
I started to research what else was out there to get a few quality mother -- son time which didn't require me to crawl on my hands and knees and squeeze my buttocks through a tunnel fit for a toddler. I discovered play cafes. Play cafes are relatively new to Canada, but have been around the UK, Australia and the US for several years. A drama café combines the needs of both parents and kids, fueling parents with carbonated drinks while providing ample play area for kids to explore and have fun.
Play cafes take the community-focused way of a café and include a play space for children. At Chickadee Family Café, we supply that coffee shop atmosphere that you're utilized to sipping your latte in as well as an enjoyable child-friendly environment filled with toys and imaginative based play activities. When the play space is closed along with the kiddos are in bed, our space can quickly transform in a day meeting area for parent workshops, a couples' date night or a meeting location for mompreneurs.
While most indoor playgrounds either don't provide meals or serve up fast food choices or vending machine snacks, a drama café is a full sized café with espresso based beverages along with a hearty menu of healthy snacks and lunch items.
A play café is a bridge between a historical years' center and your regional trendy café.
I hope that helped to clarify the gap between an indoor park and a play café. We can't wait to open our doors and invite you to experience the difference for yourself.