The owner of Allendale’s newest business, Faye Lee, is excited about welcoming Tea Time Café into the community. Located in the Meadows Crossing Apartment complex, directly across from Grand Valley State University’s campus, the is the perfect place to grab good food and drink while its modern interior design is ideal for snapping a picture or two, she said.

Lee is no stranger to running a successful business as she owns the number one Chinese restaurant in Coopersville. Tea Time Café is only offering take-out service for now, but once they open for dine-in, there’s enough seating for people to study and hang out with friends while drinking tea or having a meal. 

Pizza places are one in a million in a college town, but “Tea Time Café is unique to this area,” Lee said. The Café’s menu offers a diverse option of appetizers, Japanese ramen, Hawaiian poke bowls, Taiwanese boba milk teas, and many other mouthwatering choices. Within the first week of their opening, the milk and flavored teas have been the Café’s biggest revenue drivers

Kennedy Kirby, a junior at GVSU and resident of Meadows Crossing, Said that it’s nice having a different restaurant so close, especially after the closure of the lot’s former occupant, Mully’s.

“Having new and different options within walking distance is really convenient,” Kirby said. “Tea Time Café offers healthy and filling meals, and I know the food that I order will last me all day and not make me feel fatigued.”

Due to COVID-19, many small businesses have had to temporarily close, while others had to close permanently. Opening a business during a pandemic and being so close to a university can be a strategic move, and the driving factor that led Lee to open was that Allendale lacks restaurants that sell the type of food and drinks that Tea Time Café offers, Lee said. 

Being located right next to a busy road is perfect for attracting customers and “does a lot of the marketing for us,” Lee said. While the location is a major factor in bringing in customer’s, Lee said that it’s important to have “excellent customer service, high quality of food and drink, appealing interior design and marketing that reaches not only the student population but other residents of Allendale as well.”

Kamryn Wallace, a resident of Meadows Crossing Apartments, said she thinks Tea Time Café will draw in more residents and customers because of its location.

“Right on 48th Avenue is the perfect place to be, and it’s such a quaint café and is something that would influence my decision when choosing a place to live,” Wallace said. “I like knowing that I can walk down the road and get a good meal. I think the addition of Tea Time Café will be very beneficial to Meadows Crossing.”

Tea Time Café is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.