After less than four years on South Berkeley’s Sacramento Street, Take 5 Café has closed.
A sign posted on the café’s door the first week of March reads:
“Dear Take 5 valued customers, Thanks for everything!!!!!!! You have been amazing!!!!!!!! Hope to see you in the neighborhood!!!!!!”
Owners Glynis Fairley and Karen Rosen had hoped for Take 5 to become a “local hangout” and “social gathering place” for the neighborhood, Rosen told Nosh in 2013. Despite its closure, Fairley and Rosen seem to have hit that nail on the head.
In the last several days since the café closed, Nosh has received frequent emails from former customers, concerned and saddened about the loss of Take 5. For many neighborhood residents, it was the only coffee option in the area.
Take 5 has an enviably-high Yelp rating; guests praised not only the coffee, but the welcoming, friendly atmosphere. Ellen E. called it “a great neighbourhood spot. The two woman who own the place treat you like family.”
Gerald B. said: “I choose to go to Take 5 because I am treated more as a friend then as a customer.”
And Isaac J. wrote three reviews about how much he liked their cold brew coffee, calling it “the best I’ve ever had.”
Nosh has reached out to Fairley and Rosen for details about the closure, but have not heard back as of press time.
Take 5 offered not only coffee from Bicycle Coffee roasters, but also a varied lineup of breakfast and lunch items like bacon and egg sandwiches, panini and salads. It also served dollar scoops of ice cream as well as larger sweet creations like a cold brew and coffee ice cream shake.
Fairley and Rosen ran the café with the help of their family members. Between the two women, they have seven children, several of whom worked in the café regularly. They opened Take 5 with help from a $25,000 loan from Opportunity Fund.
No details yet about the future of the café space. We will keep you posted.
