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Loan fund helps cafe expand at new site

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By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer 8:57 AM Monday, June 8, 2009

One of Uptown Oxford’s most popular restaurants is set to relocate and expand, thanks in part to a $205,000 loan from the city.

The Uptown Café, currently located at 109 W. High St., will be packing up shop and moving to the Stewart Square Shopping Center by this August, Economic Development Director Alan Kyger said at the June 2 City Council meeting.

“What they earn on every sale should go up at the new site,” Kyger said. “They’ll be able to buy in larger quantities rather than buying retail off of the shelf at Kroger, so they should see gross profit go up with increased efficiencies.”

The number of available seats at the Café will surge from 25 at their present location to 90. Kyger said the owners also have expressed hopes to expand the operation to serve dinners within the coming year, offering their signature cooking throughout the day rather than just for breakfast and lunch.

Owner Mike Patterson said he and wife Michelle had no plans of moving the restaurant a couple of years ago, but people in charge of the Stewart Square development made them an offer that was hard to refuse.

“They really stepped up and motivated us to make this happen with some really unbelievable incentives and some things to make this a reality for us,” he said. “We look forward to making the most out of this opportunity.”

The $205,600 being loaned to the Pattersons comes courtesy of the city’s Revolving Loan Fund, which Kyger said is designed to assist locally-owned businesses looking to expand and create employment opportunities. The city’s contribution amounts to less than one-fourth of the overall project budget, with the remaining $639,900 funded through loans and personal equity.

The loaned money will go toward purchasing furnishings for the restaurant, telecommunications devices and flooring, in addition to a computerized menu system. City Council members voted 6-0 in favor of a resolution granting a loan to the project.

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139, ext. 86102, or at rgauthier@coxohio.com.

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Today I went to visit the new Patterson's Cafe. I waited about 20 mins for a seat. Other's came in after me and were waiting also. When a seat opened a group of people came in, someone the owner knew, and she gave them my seat. Seating them before everyone else that was waiting. Very Rude!Will never go there again.

Deanna Maxwell
2:36 PM, 8/16/2009

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I am glad to see something else will be leaving uptown. Another vacant store front. We could always turn uptown Oxford in to a ghost town amusement park.

The Water Tower
12:29 PM, 6/8/2009

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