Not so gr-r-reat news: Cereal cafe closes in Arvada

CerealBox

The interior of The Cereal Box in Arvada. (The Cereal Box)

Looks like you’ll have to mix your own “unicorn poop.”

The Cereal Box, a cafe in Arvada that let customers build their own cereal concoctions or choose from preselected mixes such as the aforementioned bestseller, has closed.

Lori Hofer, who opened the business at 5709 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. with husband Michael Emmerson in November 2017, said the coronavirus pandemic and associated dining restrictions were the primary factors contributing to the closure.

michael emmerson - lori hofer

Michael Emmerson and Lori Hofer (BizDen file photo)

The cafe closed in mid-March when the state banned dine-in eating.

“We’re kind of experience-based, and you really come in and experience the atmosphere,” Hofer said.

She said the business’ lease is about to expire. While they had planned to renew prior to the pandemic, doing so given the murkiness of future dining restrictions seemed unwise. Add in the fact that their landlord wanted to take over their 1,500-square-foot unit for his own use and the decision was made.

“The virus made it a really awkward time for our lease to expire,” Hofer said.

Hofer said the business was “having a great year” prior to the pandemic, although spring break and summer were typically the business’ sweet spot. The couple aren’t searching for another space at this point, but also aren’t ruling out bringing back the concept.

“Bottom line is we still see this as a success story,” Hofer said. “It wasn’t the ending we’d expected.”

In addition to bowls of cereal, The Cereal Box sold cereal milkshakes and pop tart ice cream sandwiches.

Oh, and as for the unicorn poop bowl, which Hofer said was “hands down” the most popular menu item? It consists of Lucky Charms, Trix, Fruit Loops, rainbow marshmallows, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and strawberry milk.

CerealBox

The interior of The Cereal Box in Arvada. (The Cereal Box)

Looks like you’ll have to mix your own “unicorn poop.”

The Cereal Box, a cafe in Arvada that let customers build their own cereal concoctions or choose from preselected mixes such as the aforementioned bestseller, has closed.

Lori Hofer, who opened the business at 5709 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. with husband Michael Emmerson in November 2017, said the coronavirus pandemic and associated dining restrictions were the primary factors contributing to the closure.

michael emmerson - lori hofer

Michael Emmerson and Lori Hofer (BizDen file photo)

The cafe closed in mid-March when the state banned dine-in eating.

“We’re kind of experience-based, and you really come in and experience the atmosphere,” Hofer said.

She said the business’ lease is about to expire. While they had planned to renew prior to the pandemic, doing so given the murkiness of future dining restrictions seemed unwise. Add in the fact that their landlord wanted to take over their 1,500-square-foot unit for his own use and the decision was made.

“The virus made it a really awkward time for our lease to expire,” Hofer said.

Hofer said the business was “having a great year” prior to the pandemic, although spring break and summer were typically the business’ sweet spot. The couple aren’t searching for another space at this point, but also aren’t ruling out bringing back the concept.

“Bottom line is we still see this as a success story,” Hofer said. “It wasn’t the ending we’d expected.”

In addition to bowls of cereal, The Cereal Box sold cereal milkshakes and pop tart ice cream sandwiches.

Oh, and as for the unicorn poop bowl, which Hofer said was “hands down” the most popular menu item? It consists of Lucky Charms, Trix, Fruit Loops, rainbow marshmallows, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and strawberry milk.

Your subscription has expired. Renew now by choosing a subscription below!

For more informaiton, head over to your profile.

Profile


SUBSCRIBE NOW

 — 

 — 

 — 

TERMS OF SERVICE:

ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING [email protected].

ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE.

EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES. ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED.

FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]




Return to Homepage

One response to “Not so gr-r-reat news: Cereal cafe closes in Arvada”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *