Philadelphia, PA
Kimmel Center Cafe
To realize its vision as a town square for Philadelphia's cultural community, the Kimmel Center decided to relocate its Box Office and create a new dining and gathering space for patrons. They hired B&F to manage this exciting project and make sure the new café was open in time for the Fall season.
A New Café Designed for Connection
Creating a New Gather Space
When it was built, the Kimmel Center’s Plaza was envisioned as a town square for Philadelphia’s cultural community. To further that mission, the Kimmel Center decided to relocate its Box Office and create a café that would add new amenities for its audiences and create connections to the community around Broad Street.
Open for the Fall Season
The first step in the project involved relocating the Box Office. This required a “sprint” approach and close collaboration between the Kimmel Center, the architect, and the builder. The project had to be completed in time for the Fall season, and construction could not disrupt Center productions.
Garces Trading Company at the Kimmel Center
The Kimmel Center has a longstanding relationship with the James Beard award-winning chef José Garces and his Garces Group. They have a restaurant and cater functions in the Center, making them a great fit as the café’s operator. Serving as the landlord’s representative, we balanced the requirements of creating a first-class food service facility with the Kimmel Center’s budget for construction. The result is a visually stunning and acoustically pleasing café with indoor and outdoor seating, an open kitchen concept, a make your own coffee bar, full-service bar, and specialized marketplace.
