Matt Godard spent a lot of time in coffee shops when he was in college. As an English major, he read and studied in cafes and worked part time at one near his campus. After graduating, he started his own coffee bean roasting business.

Cafe Kubal, which first began in Godard’s parents’ basement, opened its sixth location at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown on Friday.

Godard knew he would be interested in opening a Cafe Kubal at the newly renovated hotel.

“Being a Syracuse native, I’ve always been fascinated with the architecture, the interior and just the history that’s behind that building,” Godard said. “It’s just a Syracuse landmark.”

The hotel operators decided to incorporate a lot of local businesses into the hotel, Godard said, and Cafe Kubal was one of the brands chosen. The hotel’s restaurant, Eleven Waters, uses wines from the Finger Lakes region and locally sourced food, he said.

The cafe’s new location will allow guests to get a coffee on their way out the door, or they can sip it on the hotel terrace, Godard said. And with the growing number of apartments and condos in downtown Syracuse, he added that it’s convenient for city residents.

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Both Godard and Rachael Smith, the new cafe’s manager, said the location wouldn’t act as competition to the other downtown Cafe Kubal on South Salina Street.

The new cafe had a four-day soft opening, which was used to get things situated and set up. But since the grand opening on Jan. 19 — where Smith said she saw a lot of familiar faces, new customers and hotel staff — traffic has been steady.

There will be a few specialties unique to the new Cafe Kubal location. Doughnuts from the recently opened Glazed & Confused, croissants from The Stoop Kitchen, bagels from Bagelicious and jams from Modern Malt will all be available at the cafe.

“I see this as a way for guests in the hotel to get a little taste of Syracuse,” Smith said.

She added that the latest location also has a few new toast options on the breakfast menu, but it doesn’t have a lunch menu like the other cafes.

Godard said he has no immediate plans to expand outside the Syracuse area.

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“I still look at this area as a major opportunity,” he said. “I think Syracuse deserves my full attention.”

By maintaining the cafes’ family ownership, a selective hiring process and regular meetings with managers to discuss culture and operations, Godard said he’s managed to retain Cafe Kubal’s “comfortable and cozy” atmosphere.

Specific architectural components are unique to each Cafe Kubal location, Godard said, adding that they worked to incorporate the hotel’s art deco architecture into the cafe’s design.

“No two Cafe Kubal locations have the same decor,” Godard said. “That’s because we don’t impose a rubber stamp design on the community, but we rather infuse aspects of the community into the cafes.”

Published on January 23, 2018 at 7:38 pm

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