MARR’s Cafe taking it to next level at Wayne College
Rachel Drake, left, and Michael Middleton are the owners of MARR’s Cafe, recently opened at University of Akron Wayne College in Orrville.
Wayne College in Orrville has become home to MARR’s Cafe, a restaurant that has evolved from a breakfast and lunch provider at Local Roots in Wooster to a specialty catering business focused on charcuterie and cheesecakes and now a new venture as an in-house restaurant in the Student Life Building at the University of Akron Wayne College.
Rachel Drake owns the cafe with her husband Michael Middleton, and it’s a family affair right down to the cafe’s name.
“The name MARR’s Cafe is actually an acronym of our family names,” Drake said. “The letter M is for my husband/co-owner Michael, A is for our daughter Aliyah, and the two Rs are Ryden, our son, and me, Rachel, co-owner.”
Drake also explained how the business has expanded over the years.
“We originally started out as a small cafe located inside the Lodi Outlet Mall back in 2021, but unfortunately, due to the economic state at that time and the pandemic, the location wasn’t working out as planned for us,” she said. “When we decided to leave there and bring the business more local to Wooster, we decided to enter into the Local Roots scene. It was a place I had frequented as a customer, so we spoke with them about becoming a producer and we literally started to take root there.”
From that point the business not only took root, but also began to branch out, growing into a full-service catering company. The cheesecakes, in particular, developed a real following, and local restaurants approached the business about adding the cheesecakes to their menus. MARR’s Cafe soon began wholesaling its cheesecakes to other eateries, and now the desserts can be found in multiple restaurants across multiple counties.
As the eatery began to outgrow Local Roots, Drake said they were seeking a place to spread their wings.
“I happened to see a post on Facebook about a student at Wayne College looking for a food truck to park in the college’s lot since students had no food option on campus at that time,” Drake said. “That night Michael and I came up with a business proposal, sample menu and a crazy idea, and the next morning, I went to campus right after it opened and asked to speak with whomever was in charge of the food service/cafeteria.
“Luckily, the folks at Wayne were willing to meet with me and walk me around and hear my pitch. A few days later, we got the news they would love to have us operate on their campus.”
The restaurant opened at its new location at Wayne on Nov. 18 and is open to the public for lunch Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant offers fresh cafe/bistro-style food including sandwiches, wraps, soups, salad, pizza and more. MARR’s Cafe hopes to increase its dessert offerings to many more restaurants and is looking to partner with a delivery service in Orrville, Wooster and Smithville to allow as many people as possible to try their food.
MARR’s Cafe is located in the lower level of the Student Life Building at the University of Akron Wayne College campus, 1901 Smucker Road, Orrville, and offers dine-in at the dining space on campus and takeout. MARR’s Cafe also can be found on Facebook, where you can find photos and posts about not just the new location, but also the catering business.