look no further for a killer flat white

From Crain’s Chicago Business (written by By Ally Marotti).

“An Australian-style cafe is headed for Streeterville this fall, Vegemite and all.

Chapel Street Cafe is set to open in November at 198 E. Delaware Place, just a block off Michigan Avenue. It will fill a space at the base of the Hilton Chicago/Magnificent Mile Suites that Southern Cut Barbecue vacated when it closed during the pandemic.

The owner and general manager, Shawn Uldridge, is an Australian native who has lived in Chicago for the past decade. Australian-style cafes have gained popularity around the U.S. in recent years, and Uldridge wanted to introduce Chicagoans to the coffee culture he misses from home.

“Generally, the Australian vibe is really heavy on quality of food and ingredients, really friendly customer service,” Uldridge said. “When you go in there, you just feel like you’re welcome.”

The menu will feature classic Australian cafe items such as the flat white, an espresso drink with a higher coffee-to-milk ratio than a latte; Lamington cake, a sponge cake coated in chocolate and coconut; savory meat pies; sausage rolls, and more. There will also be toast with Vegemite, a spread made from leftover brewers’yeast extract that’s iconic in Australia, and a “burger with the lot,” which is stacked high with an egg, beets, pineapple and bacon.

“We are going to be as Australian as we can,” Uldridge said. “(There will be an) Australian wine list behind the bar, and we’ll be roasting our own coffee beans, making our own bread and pastries onsite. We’ll smoke our own salmon, roast our own roast beef sandwiches.”

Uldridge moved to Chicago in 2014 and opened the Publishing House Bed & Breakfast in the West Loop in 2017. He also opened West Loop wine bar The Press Room.

Chapel Street Cafe is named for an iconic retail and dining corridor in Melbourne, Uldridge’s hometown. The goal with the renovation of the 3,500-square-foot space is to make customers feel like they’re really on Chapel Street, Uldridge said. To accomplish this, Uldridge said he’s thinking aboutthe types of plants in the space, the material used in the renovation, the music and more. It will seat about 80 people inside and 40 people on the patio.

The U.S. has seen an influx of Aussies over the past 20 years because of a special visa that allows Australians with an appropriate job offer and degree to move to the states. President George W. Bush established the E-3 visa in 2005 as part of a larger agreement, often seen as a thank you for the country’s military support. The impact is illustrated in New York: The New York Times recently reported that the number of Australians living in the state quintupled between 2005

and 2020 on the day.

Operating an all-day cafe can be challenging and costly, with labor costs and an array of menu offerings. Hotels often require their restaurant partners to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Uldridge said he is leaning into the challenge, extending hours to capture the late-night diner

as well.

The Magnificent Mile, which is just one block over from Chapel Street Cafe, has suffered in recent years. The pandemic and the 2020 looting wave devastated retailers along the famed shopping strip, which was already struggling amid rising rents and changing shopping habits. By late 2022, the

vacancy rate was worse than the low point of the 2008 recession. National retailers like Gap, Uniqlo, Banana Republic and Macy’s departed the strip. But there are pushes underway to reinvigorate Michigan Avenue. Foot traffic is recovering the surrounding areas, such as Streeterville, and tourism is making a comeback. The hotel business in that area is what tantalizes Uldridge. The Hilton has 345 rooms, which can accommodate up to 1,380 guests.

“You have a captive audience onsite, and there’s another five hotels within

two blocks of us,” he said. “That’s the opportunity.”