A Belleville café on the old Lindenwood campus reopens with amenities for a new generation

Jennifer Green
·4 min read

So much coffee, so little time … to drink it all.

But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t try.

And one new place to fuel up on some delicious coffee is Matt’s Café in Belleville, which officially reopened for business Thursday, July 6.

Located at 2300 W. Main St. at the Southwestern Illinois Justice & Workforce Development Campus (that’s a mouthful), the café was renovated by Southwestern Illinois College.

I attended the café’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 13 and bumped into Dean Hardt, who is the campus coordinator.

Part of his job is to liaise with existing and potential tenants for the campus, including Matt’s Café and James Grinnell, auxiliary services manager for SWIC.

They told me a bit about the café’s updates.

View of the serving counter area at Matt’s Café in Belleville
View of the serving counter area at Matt’s Café in Belleville

Updated for a new generation

Grinnell said that getting Matt’s Café to where it is today was a long process that included updating the space, coming up with a concept and dealing with supply chains.

“Now we need people,” said Grinnell.

Matt’s Café proudly serves Starbucks.

Guests can enjoy the familiar coffee drinks, teas and other beverages of the Seattle-based company.

Available breakfast and lunch items include breakfast sandwiches, build-your-own sandwiches, salads, soups, flatbread pizzas and pastries.

Guests can choose from a variety of seating options that include high tables, low tables, big tables, small tables, tables along the front window with regular chairs and booth benches, bar-level seating and a couple of comfy armchairs and couches.

Seating areas along the walls at Matt’s Café in Belleville provide customers with charging stations for laptops, phones and other devices.
Seating areas along the walls at Matt’s Café in Belleville provide customers with charging stations for laptops, phones and other devices.

Flatscreen TVs are mounted in the café’s seating area, and there’s Wi-Fi access too.

The best part is that most places to sit have charging stations for phones, laptops and other devices.

With these updates, they’re “catering to the next generation,” said Hardt.

Kourtny Shaw, director of marketing for SWIC, said a lot of work went into modernizing the café.

The new additions and amenities were really well thought out, she said.

Grinnell said Matt’s Café offers catering services and the space can be reserved for events through Hardt.

Grinnell said that his next goal is to expand over the coming months into next year by adding more unique touches to the décor to make Matt’s Café more welcoming to the community.

He also hopes to expand the café’s operating hours.

Seating areas along the walls at Matt’s Café in Belleville provide customers with charging stations for laptops, phones and other devices.
Seating areas along the walls at Matt’s Café in Belleville provide customers with charging stations for laptops, phones and other devices.

Origins & Updates

Matt’s Café first opened in 2009, when the campus was occupied by Lindenwood University-Belleville.

It was created through a monetary gift from the Kern family to the school.

A small plaque that reads, “Matt’s Café. In honor of their grandson, Matt Kern. Gifted by Barbara & Fred Kern,” hangs in the café today.

As part of a $500,000 renovation project in 2016, the café was nearly tripled in size, according to a March 2016 article in the Illinois Business Journal.

The expansion was a way to enhance the dining experience of Lindenwood’s students at that time.

The previous update included the addition of Starbucks and outdoor patio seating, which are still available today.

The new updates were made during the last five months, according to Grinnell, but the project planning started around a year ago.

The project included new kitchen equipment, painting, furnishings, electrical work and wiring for television and internet at a cost of about $100,000.

The funds used were part of a state budget approved by Gov. J.B. Pritzker that would allow SWIC to make improvements at the former Lindenwood campus.

Grinnell added that they’re excited to get the café open again, for the Kern family and for the city.

Hardt said the café provides more support for the campus and for the city.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mayor Patty Gregory spoke of the café as a great opportunity for the neighborhood and the campus.

She also said it’s a great place for people to gather, not just students or employees but for everyone in the neighborhood.

“I can see the teachers from school coming over here on their lunch hour. … it’s just a great opportunity,” said Gregory. “Any day that we have something working here, again, at the former Lindenwood, it’s a good day in Belleville.”

About Matt’s Café

Matt’s Café is located at 2300 W. Main St. in Belleville. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For more information, call 618-641-5780.