Lara’s Little Teapot Cafe and play makes more than coffee and cupcakes.
They make a difference.
At the Little Teapot Cafe, they know that while being a parent is full of joy and happiness, at times it can be just as full of challenges. That’s why they’ve created a warm, welcoming and friendly space for mother’s to enjoy a cuppa while the kids enjoy one of the cafe’s play areas.
But as cafe manager Chez Anderson explained, Little Teapot isn’t your average kid’s cafe.
“We’re a not-for-profit cafe,” Chez said.
“We aim to make enough money to cover our costs and give the rest back to the community.”
Little Teapot ‘dreams of being able to help families connect with each other, with local services and with their local community’ through initiatives such as mothers groups, ‘new to the community’ sessions, as well as liaising with local services in the area that assist families.
But Little Teapot’s difference doesn’t stop there. Approximately 70 per cent of the people involved in the cafe are volunteers, working to give the business its welcoming environment full of family-friendly service, six days a week.
“We’ve got three different women that collect things like aprons and tea towels and take them away to wash and then drop them off again each day,” Chez explained.
“There’s also a gentlemen that pops in nearly in every day and fixes anything that needs repairing. We have administration volunteers and volunteers to even wash dishes.”
Sourcing local ingredients where possible, Little Teapot offers a delicious range of cupcakes and scones, with items such as fruit toast, focaccias, soups, salads and frittatas available for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. For the children, Little Teapot has a range of toasties and kids platters – when they can be enticed away from the play area that is.
“The kids scream when they have to go home. We’re often bribing kids to leave without a tantrum,” Chez laughed.
“But the mums always say how wonderful it is. They’re so grateful … they love that the kids can play and they can just sit and read the paper. So often they don’t even get to read the newspaper with kids!”
Little Teapot Cafe and Play is located at 76 Flinders Avenue, Lara and is open from Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 3pm, and Saturday from 9am to 1.30pm.
