A cafe that almost never opened is now one of Evanston's better municipal bets. Café au Lake, the city-run coffee and wine spot tucked into the Arrington Lagoon picnic shelter, saw its profit nearly double in its second year, and city officials say that success is fueling plans to bring food service to more public spaces, including a new cafe set to soft-open on Nov. 16 at the Prieto Community Center.
From Vacant Shelter to Revenue Generator
Café au Lake officially opened on Oct. 26, 2024, after the city struggled for years to find anyone willing to run it, according to Evanston RoundTable. The city issued a request for proposals in April 2024 looking for a vendor to take over the depression-era shelter, but got no responses at all. City staff have said the building's condition, including a broken sewer line and an outdated kitchen, was a major obstacle, and the City Council ultimately allocated federal pandemic recovery funds and capital improvement money to fix it up rather than waiting for a private operator.
A May 2024 City Council agenda recommended $77,624.07 for equipment and up to $60,120 for repairs and updates to the picnic shelter's concession area, with the document noting that Evanston Thrives ARPA funds would make up the equipment-funding difference, per a City of Evanston agenda document. With the building fixed, the city decided to staff and run the cafe itself rather than keep searching for an outside operator.
Sales and Profit Climb in Year Two
The numbers suggest that bet paid off. Café au Lake's gross sales climbed from $86,960 in 2025 to $95,980 in 2026, and the operation nearly doubled its profit, going from roughly $14,000 in its first year to just under $28,000 in 2026 — even though it was open two fewer months that year, the RoundTable reports. The cafe serves light fare, breakfast items, coffee, tea, pastries, and hot and cold beverages, though notably it skips hot dogs and hamburgers. This year it also expanded into Friday and Saturday evening beer and wine service.
Business at the lagoon cafe tends to track the seasons. The Daily Northwestern reported that the cafe's business peaks in the summer, with shorter fall-season hours kicking in as trail traffic drops off in cooler weather. Back in 2025, the city was still watching closely how expanded hours affected both revenue and payroll costs; Michael Drape, the city's food service coordinator, told the RoundTable at the time that hours could be scaled back if the numbers didn't hold up. “If business falls off, and we don't seem to be making it work, then we probably could cut the hours,” Drape said.
A New Cafe Coming to Prieto Center
The Economic Development Committee endorsed the department's strategy to expand food service at Arrington Lagoon back in 2023, and at the committee's Oct. 28 meeting, Evanston Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Audrey Thompson laid out how that strategy is now spreading citywide. The city is planning a soft opening on Nov. 16 for a new cafe at the Dr. Jorge and Luz Maria Prieto Community Center, located at 430 Asbury Ave. Thompson said Café au Lake shows the potential of investment in public space paired with active service management.
The Prieto cafe is expected to partner with local small businesses for both merchandise and food or beverage sales, according to Evanston Now. It will also operate a store selling parks and recreation gear and wine glasses. City officials had not yet decided whether the cafe's drive-thru would be used; if not, Evanston Now reports it would likely open as a walk-up window instead.
Robert Crown and James Park Show Mixed Results
Café au Lake isn't the only city food operation showing growth. Robert Crown Community Center, at 1801 Main St., turned a profit of $12,000 in food sales so far in 2026, compared with a little more than $20,000 the year before, the same report notes. City officials expect that figure to climb past last year's total once Nutcracker on Ice and four other large events wrap up. The City Council has also approved a walk-in refrigerator for Robert Crown to support the larger food operation.
At James Park, near Dodge Avenue and Oakton Street, the city's food-service profit has also nearly doubled, Thompson said, though specific dollar figures for that site were not provided. Parks and Recreation officials say the lack of concession stands at locations like Clark Street Beach and Arrington Lagoon had represented what Thompson has called a multitude of missed opportunities to increase revenue, a gap the city has been working to close since adding a dedicated food-service coordinator to develop concession programs across its facilities.
City Looks to Expand Without Raising Fees
Michael Callahan, the city's deputy director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, manages the broader food-service push, which officials frame as a way to build department revenue without leaning further on recreation fee hikes. The department plans to expand beer and wine sales at venues and special events in 2027, building on this year's rollout at Café au Lake.
Clare Kelly, who chairs the Economic Development Committee and represents the First Ward that includes Arrington Lagoon, has been among the cafe's most vocal supporters. “I haven't heard any complaints. I've only received just an outpouring of accolades and praise,” Kelly said. She pointed to the cafe as proof that pandemic-era relief dollars can leave a lasting mark. “It's actually generating revenue, generating jobs, and (it) made people happy,” Kelly said.
