Winter Park

Mecatos Bakery and Cafe Opening Early June in Winter Park

Colombian pastries, coffee, and savory bites will define the offerings.

Image from Mecatos Bakery and Cafe website

WINTER PARK, FL — Mecatos Bakery and Cafe is targeting an early June opening at 610 W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789 in the former Coop space. Ana Rosabal told Business Debut she is opening the cafe with her parents, Juan and Linda Rosabal, and partner Barbara Moreno.

Rosabal said Winter Park will be the group’s third Mecatos location, while the overall franchise system now stands at 10 locations under franchisor Edwin Lourduy.

What to Expect

Rosabal told Business Debut Mecatos is, at its core, a Colombian bakery and cafe, with coffee sourced from Colombia and roasted locally. She said the menu also includes Venezuelan and Puerto Rican items, making the concept a broader mix of Hispanic flavors.

Images from Mecatos Bakery and Cafe website

The service style will remain fast casual. Guests will order at the counter, moving through hot bites, pastries, breads and desserts before paying, and staff will then bring food to the table, Rosabal told Business Debut.

Winter Park will also be larger than a typical Mecatos, with about 120 to 130 seats including the patio. Rosabal said the team wants the space to feel like a place where people can stay awhile, not just stop in for a quick meal.

Rosabal said some of her personal favorites are the beef empanada with garlic sauce and the stuffed yuca with spicy sauce. She said quesitos are among the most popular sweet pastries, while pan de bono are another customer favorite.
She said the biggest difference at Winter Park will be an on-site coffee roaster in a visible area, allowing guests to watch the roasting process and buy freshly roasted beans.

“You can come in, see the coffee being roasted, and then buy a bag of the roasted beans right after,” Rosabal told Business Debut.

The location will also include a small bar area focused on coffee cocktails rather than a full bar. Rosabal said the team is also planning a small book-focused seating area so customers can sit with coffee, food or a drink and spend time in the space. “We want it to be a place where everybody from Winter Park can come in and have a place where they can spend some time,” Rosabal told Business Debut.

Opening Timeline

Rosabal told Business Debut the team does not yet have an exact opening date but is hoping to open in early June.

Hours

The cafe is expected to open seven days a week. Rosabal said the team will likely begin with shorter hours, possibly 7 a.m.—6 p.m., before expanding. The long-term goal is daily hours of 6 a.m.—9 or 10 p.m., she told Business Debut.