Your favorite staff at these Charlotte-area Holy Angels spots are back (and vaccinated).
Fans of Cherubs Cafe and Spruced Goose Station can rejoice — the crew members are back to fill your orders for California wraps and Downtown salads at the Charlotte-area restaurants and other businesses run by Holy Angels.
The nonprofit provides residential services and programs for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities, along with vocational training that includes work at its four businesses: Cherubs Cafe, The Cotton Candy Factory and Bliss Gallery in Belmont, and the Spruced Goose Station restaurant in McAdenville.
The businesses temporarily closed in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic struck North Carolina and reopened in September at reduced capacity with some rearranging of existing staff to ensure safety. In February, Holy Angels started preparing for the return of the crew members with intellectual developmental disabilities, who have had COVID-19 vaccines, along with testing and updated training on safety protocols.
“It’s been a long year for all of us, but we are so very excited to bring back our crew to the businesses,” Holy Angels President and CEO Regina Moody said. “Being able to provide these meaningful employment opportunities for them is critically important to our mission here at Holy Angels.”
COVID-19 safety
Hand sanitizer is available, and crew members will be wearing personal protective equipment, including masks and face shields. Customers are asked to wear masks when not seated and maintain a safe distance from others — and to try to hold back from hugging their favorite crew members (although elbow bumps are a great option).
“if you ask them, they’ll tell you they’re happy to get back to normal and be with their friends and co- workers — and with their customers, because they consider them friends, as well,” Moody said.
Moody said a new business card program is in the works, too. Crew members can offer customers a business card sharing a little information about themselves and Holy Angels’ mission, and those customers will be able to return with the card at a later date for a 10 percent discount.
Takeout is available at both restaurants, and for those who would rather eat outdoors, there’s a large grassy area outside of Cherubs Cafe in Belmont and two patios at Spruced Goose Station in McAdenville.
After you grab a bite to eat at Cherubs Cafe, you can stroll next door to pick up dessert from the Cotton Candy Factory, where crew members are spinning fresh cotton candy and selling other candy treats, or to Bliss Gallery, which is open Wednesday through Saturday afternoons for browsing. The gallery will also be open the evening of Thursday, April 29 to feature the work of Michelle Owensby of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, and other Holy Angels artists.
“Our crew members are really the face, heart and soul of our Holy Angels businesses. Whether it’s preparing food, cleaning tables or just interacting with customers, they are the true representatives of our mission,” Moody said.
Cherubs Cafe
23 N. Main St., Belmont
Instagram: @cherubscafe
Cotton Candy Factory
21 N. Main St., Belmont
Instagram: @cottoncandyfactory_belmont
Bliss Gallery
25 N. Main St., Belmont
Instagram: @blissgallery_belmont
Spruced Goose Station
118 Wesleyan Drive, McAdenville
Instagram: @sprucedgoosestation
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