Bobcat Cafe back open for 2026-2027 school year

The Bobcat Cafe is back open for the 2026-2027 school year inside the BA Niblock Orpheum Welcome Center located at 220 E. Main St., and the students running it in partnership with Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) teacher Jules Wight are picking up important lessons on both customer service and the ins and outs of running a business.

Wight and a group of her senior students spoke to the T-R on Thursday morning, and while they are only eligible for the half credit once, some have chosen to come back regardless.

"For me, really, I just heard about it from other peers in school, and they said it was good, helping the community and stuff, so I just thought it would be a good idea," said one of the students, Ethan Matlock.

Jovanna Gutierrez hopes to open her own hair salon someday, so the cafe has offered her a chance to learn the basics of running a business. Wight said the menu thus far is essentially the same as last year, but they are "experimenting" with dirty juices, a twist on the popular dirty soda trend.

There have been flops and successes, but they're thinking about rolling out an orange juice/espresso mix, which is about as unique of a combination as this author has tasted but still very enjoyable all in all. Wight's colleague, fellow FCS teacher Mady Wall, is also teaching a course on Bobcat Cafe food prep, and the sweet box is full of creations from those students.

The cafe will be open from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday to allow interested students time to get into the foods program at Marshalltown Community College (MCC).

Bobcat Cafe students, especially Matlock and Faith Banissan, also take and deliver custom orders for Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) staff each morning.

To learn more or pick up a beverage or sweet treat, sift through the ongoing road construction and visit the cafe at 220 E. Main St.

Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.