A new dining option has opened its doors in downtown Dowagiac.
Jake and Brooke Arnold of Jake’s Restaurant Group opened Brookie’s Cafe, at 105 Beeson St. The brunch cafe will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
As the owner of Happy Jake’s and Arnie’s in Dowagiac and Wakey Jakes in Marcellus, The Arnolds enjoy sharing their passion for food with Cass County residents. So when the opportunity came about to expand JRG into downtown Dowagiac – the former home of Beeson Street Bar and Grill, no less – Jake said they could not pass it up.
“When I posted the breakfast menu for Arnie’s on Facebook, someone tagged a realtor in the area and said ‘this guy should open up a place in the old Beeson Street Cafe,’” he said. “Matt Money and I got connected through that and he showed me the spot. I have been to downtown Dowagiac probably a hundred times – I’m here three or four times a week – and I’ve never seen this place. They showed me the space and I had the staff for it, so it kind of fell in my lap.”
Arnold said the business owes its name to his wife and said that the restaurant will offer a variety of brunch options including skillets, omelettes, sandwiches, soups, paninis and more.
“The vibe of the place really describes who Brooke is,” he said. “It’s soft, elegant and elevated. There’s no burgers, there’s no deep fried anything; It’s almost like a Panera or like McAlister’s. You get your fresh soup, you’ve got your sandwiches. There’s a really good breakfast – you still have your classics where you can get your omelets, your biscuits and gravy and eggs and potatoes. The goal and the vision is just to be a little bit elevated from a regular breakfast spot.”
While there are breakfast options in and around Dowagiac, Arnold believes Brookie’s will provide something new to the restaurant ecosystem. According to Arnold, more than 92,000 people on Facebook viewed his post announcing Brookie’s Cafe.
“There’s a couple of other places in town that do breakfast and I think based on what I’ve put out there on Facebook so far, I think people really like are drawn to it and are excited to have a cafe that does breakfast and lunch,” he said.
According to Jake, JRG has rented out both the cafe and the space next door, which will be used for overflow seating for the cafe as well as a space to host events.
“We’re gonna do wine and canvas, charcuterie classes, a worship night, cooking classes, things like that,” he said. “We have a groom divider where we will have extra seating for the cafe.”
Arnold is looking forward to welcoming the Dowagiac community to Brookie’s Cafe.
“I’ve felt the love. I felt the love at Arnie’s, for sure,” he said. “Coming here, I think people are really excited and I believe in Dowagiac. I feel like there’s going to be a revival in Dowagiac and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
