A once-forgotten retail bay inside downtown Cincinnati's Scripps Center at 312 Walnut St. is back in action, now home to a new weekday cafe pouring coffee and espresso and serving quick breakfast and lunch items. The counter gives building tenants a grab-and-go option during the workweek and brings some much-needed buzz back to a lobby that sat quiet for years.
As reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, the cafe operates Monday through Friday and is geared squarely toward downtown workers, with a lineup of coffee, espresso, and simple breakfast and lunch fare. According to the Courier, the new lease and buildout officially close the book on a long-running vacancy in the building's retail strip.
Where it sits inside the building
The Scripps Center, at 312 Walnut St., is one of downtown's taller office towers, home to a mix of professional tenants and a lobby level that has seen its retail spaces come and go over the years. Property listings for the tower on LoopNet lay out the address and building details and highlight why a ground-floor food option is a practical perk for both tenants and visitors.
Market reports show the broader downtown office scene is still in flux, with vacancy higher than it was before the pandemic but starting to steady. Per CBRE and Colliers, landlords are leaning hard into lobby activation and adding tenant amenities as they try to coax workers back into the office more often.
What to expect
According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, the new counter is set up as a straightforward coffee-and-cafe operation serving espresso drinks alongside basic breakfast and lunch items on weekdays only. That schedule makes clear the focus is on office traffic during business hours rather than chasing weekend crowds.
For now, the spot figures to be most useful to people who work in the building or nearby and want a quick coffee or sandwich without stepping outside. Its arrival is a small but visible example of how property owners and local food operators are trying to make downtown office towers feel a bit more welcoming as employees filter back more regularly.
