Indy dining icon Martha Hoover launched the first Cafe Patachou at 49th and Pennsylvania streets in 1989. In the subsequent 35 years, locations proliferated, and Hoover spun off its ideas into several other styles of restaurant, all under the umbrella of her Won’t Stop Hospitality restaurant group. Last year, she told us she’s eager to expand beyond Indianapolis, and the IBJ now reports she’s ready to make that vision a reality. Venture capital firm Hargett Hunter Capital Management, which specializes in growing businesses into large-scale companies, has made a substantial (but undisclosed) investment in Won’t Stop and has installed former Starbucks exec Michelle Andersen as its new CEO. Hoover will retain an ownership stake in the company and says her investors “believe in quality of product, quality of experience and quality of culture at scale.”
Just a month ago, we told you how family-owned Guggman Haus Brewing Co. had just opened a coffee shop. They’ve now launched a second location with beer, sandwiches, and snacks. The 46th Street Taproom (4601 College Ave.) opened for business on Wednesday with indoor drinking and dining (bar seating is 21+) and a dog-friendly outdoor patio. Gen Con-ers take note: “We have board games,” the owners say, “but feel free to bring your own!”
A new restaurant called The Shadow Lounge will open at 2380 E. 54th St., the IBJ reports. The last tenant at the space was Marco’s Restaurant & Lounge, which opened in 1985 and shuttered in 2021; old-timers might also recall it as the original home of Capri Italian Restaurant from 1963 to 1985. Those long-term tenants might explain why the building’s distinctive red-starred sign has remained, and Shadow Lounge’s owners say they won’t remove it. They’ll also bring back some of the specials Marco’s offered, along with new offerings such as “live comedy, spoken-word and music performances.” An opening date has yet to be announced.
You know all those amazing pop-up bakeries you mean to get to but always miss? Here’s your early warning that some of the buzziest pastry drops in town are teaming up for a summer bake sale on June 29 from noon to 2 p.m. During those glorious two hours, 4 Birds Bakery (607 N. Fulton St.) will host Jordan Justice, J’Adore Pastry, Filigree Bakery, and Mochi Joy Donuts for a walk-up sale of cookies, pastries, cakes, and other sweet treats. Get there before it sells out. (Because it will sell out.)
The Instagram account for new Carmel boba shop Pawz Pet Cafe is decidedly short on food content, and the same goes for its TikTok. Instead, the business at 481 Gradle Dr. in Carmel is all cat, all the time: For a $10 reservation you get 30 minutes in its cat lounge, where you’ll be free to cuddle and frolic with free-roaming felines from local rescue org Paws on my Heart, all of which are available to adopt. Drinks from a menu of sparkling water or boba (coffee’s coming soon) are extra, but the hair on your pants, shirt, or sweater is given freely.
As we say farewell to Saks Fifth Avenue, The Fashion Mall’s owners are reminding us that the department store’s space will make way for “a very, very nice expansive dining and entertainment complex,” a Simon Property Group spokesperson tells CBS 4. No word yet on what restaurants the mall at 8702 Keystone Crossing hopes to attract with its 150,000-square-foot redevelopment project, which will kick off in August.
