Good food, relaxing setting make this new Belleville cafe the place to go for a break
There’s a new café in the 4900 block of Belleville’s West Main Street where customers can go to take a mini-break from their daily lives.
Tropical Breeze Café, with its bright oranges and yellows and touches of navy blue, is meant to give the vibes that typically come with going on a summer vacation.
(I like the wood planks on the wall and counter — They remind me of a boardwalk on a beach.)
For owner Sandra Crockett, the warm colors bring the excited feeling of taking a vacation and getting away from the stress and worries of everyday life. (Just talking about it brought a smile to her face.)
And being on vacation means enjoying good food and refreshing (non-alcoholic) drinks, which is where kid- and family-friendly Tropical Breeze Café comes in.
Open since mid-April, Tropical Breeze offers made-to-order breakfast, lunch and dinner fare, as well as coffees, smoothies and shakes, ice cream and their popular boba teas.
(No relation to Boba Fett. Sorry, fellow Star Wars fans. Always glad to make a reference.)
Boba tea, or bubble tea, originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s, according to Wikipedia, and continues to grow in popularity today.
The drink usually consists of tea with chewy tapioca balls, milk, sugar and flavored syrups. Crockett said it’s the café’s most popular item.
Other popular menu items include ice cream, chicken wings and their avocado bacon cheeseburger.
Breakfast items include French toast, pancakes, bacon grilled cheese, BLT (with and without avocado), chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy and breakfast flatbread.
The “Anytime” menu offers Philly steaks, flatbreads, burgers, fish and chicken baskets, chicken wings, salads and sides.
Then there are frozen treats. Frozen yogurt and ice cream are available by the cone or cup. A menu on the café’s Facebook page includes espresso ice cream (when sugar alone isn’t enough to get you through the day) and vegan vanilla ice cream (Yay!).
Crockett, who operates the business with a silent partner, said the café’s hours are a work in progress that depends on the available staff. Hours may change for the summer, but Crockett said they’re playing it by ear for now.
Like many other businesses, Crockett is struggling with staffing.
Tropical Breeze is currently staffed by Crockett and three other employees. She said her goal is to have six employees.
Crockett works with East St. Louis nonprofit Teens Against Killing Everywhere to find young people who are interested in developing a good work ethic and marketable job skills.
Teens Against Killing Everywhere works to help reduce violence in East St. Louis and surrounding communities through education and youth advocacy. The organization collaborates with other organizations and companies to provide opportunities for young people to become contributing members of the community.
There’s a generation of young people who need to learn, to be motivated, said Crockett.
Crockett said she has one young person from the organization training at Tropical Breeze and another starting out at Sip & Chew Express, which she also co-owns, at 124 W. Main St. in downtown Belleville.
She said that working at either business is more than just standing behind a register. She wants to give the new recruits the chance to learn how to work, adding that if they’re good, she’ll take them on at Tropical Breeze.
Once the café is fully staffed, Crockett hopes to be busy enough to add online order and delivery services.
Tropical Breeze Café is located at 4901 W. Main St. in Belleville.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, and 1-7 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, call 618-416-4399, visit https://tropicalbreeze.cafe/ or find them on Facebook.
