Cat lovers will want to check out this new downtown cafe when it opens in January

Somedays a pick-me-up requires more than just a coffee and pastry. One soon-to-open downtown eatery is suggesting a side order of purr.

The Cats' Pyjamas – Springfield’s first cat cafe – is poised to open at 413 E. Adams St. serving up feline companionship and antics along with the grab-and-go selections on the menu.

Husband-wife team Tom Raymond and Samantha Enz are behind the new eatery that is projected to open in downtown Springfield in January.

The Cats’ Pyjamas is partnering with other local food establishments to stock the menu selections and with the local Animal Protective League for the live entertainment. Felines featured at The Cats’ Pyjamas are available for adoption through the not-for-profit APL.

While the business model is new to the Capital City, the concept has been the cat’s meow overseas for decades.

The first cat cafe – Cat Flower Garden – opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998. But this kitty craze took off after migrating in the early 2000s to Japan where leases in urban areas frequently restrict pet ownership. These cafes are often themed: black cats, fat cats, cats with pedigrees. Today, there are more than 400 cat cafes throughout Asia.

The business concept evolved when it arrived in Europe a decade later with cat cafes pairing up with animal shelters and also featuring adoption services. Arguably the most famous is Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium in London, which has been booked since opening in 2014.

That same year Cattown – the first cat cafe to mark territory in the United States – opened in Oakland, Calif.

Lately, cat cafes have pounced in central Illinois with River Kitty Cafe opening in Peoria in May and The Cat's Meow Cafe following on its tail with a September opening.

Cafe opens

A second Sgt. Pepper's Cafe opened this week at 700 W. Jefferson St. with all the comfort food favorites the original is known for, as well as a full coffee bar.

Muhammad Samara, son of Sgt. Pepper’s Cafe founders Ziyad and Souad Samara, owns the new cafe, located in the former Ritz's site.

The menu features the familiar breakfast-all-day service, as well as thick burgers, horseshoes, sandwiches, soups, and salads. The coffee bar will have a variety of caffeinated drinks ranging from mochas to cappuccinos.

Phone: (217) 717-9600. Hours for the Jefferson Street location are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. (The cafe at 3141 Baker Drive in Park South is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.)

Sgt. Pepper’s Cafe has operated from a handful of locations since the Samaras opened the original at 3115 Chatham Road in 1999. The Park South cafe opened in 2002.

And to avoid confusion, the annual free Christmas Day meal is at the Baker Drive location.

Saying goodbye after 40 years

Farewell to the McDonald's at 901 North Grand Ave. E., which will close on Dec. 30 after four decades of serving up the Golden Arches’ signature burgers and french fries.

A spokesperson for franchise owner/operator Mary Breznay confirmed the closing date but said no other information would be made public.

More: Where can you have a nice meal to bid adieu to 2023 and welcome 2024? Check out this list

The Peoria-based franchise declined to specify why the fast food chain was closing when the announcement was made last month. However, the news came after the Springfield City Council discussed plans to purchase the property for the rail project.

The fast food chain at the South Grand Avenue address was the eighth and final McDonald’s opened by Springfield’s original McDonald’s franchise operator John Mack. Mack opened the first McDonald’s in Springfield in 1957 at 2849 S. Sixth St. after being approached by McDonald’s Restaurant Inc. chairman Ray Kroc about bringing the new brand to Springfield.

The Mack family was the sole McDonald’s operator in Springfield from 1957 to 1989 when they sold the franchise to Rick McGraw. Today, the dozen McDonald’s operating throughout Springfield are carved up among three franchise operators.

Breznay also owns two other Springfield McDonald’s at 501 South Grand Ave. E. and 4301 Wabash Ave.

Wild game dinner

Luminary Kitchen & Provisions is taking reservations for its annual wild game dinner on Jan. 6.

The menu features foie gras cannoli, duck carpaccio, wild boar dumplings, rabbit saddle, venison tonkatsu, and salted honey pie with creme brulee ice cream for dessert. Cost is $85 a person.

Reservations can be placed by calling (217) 679-1819 or emailing theluminarychefs@gmail.com. The dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. at the 3121 Hedley Road restaurant.

Taking a break

The A la Carte column will be on hiatus for the next two weeks, returning to sj-r.com on Jan. 4.

The A La Carte column highlights restaurant openings, closings, renovations, and relocations, as well as personnel changes and business news. Natalie Morris can be reached at (217) 737-7254 or by email at natalie.sjr@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: The Cats' Pyjamas, a cat cafe, will open in downtown Springfield