Special-Needs Friendly Cafe Reopens In Woodbridge

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Mayor Mac's Café in Woodbridge re-opened Wednesday after being closed for over two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Mac’s Café is a collaboration between the town of Woodbridge and the school district designed to train young adults with special needs and prepare them for careers in the food service industry.

The café, located inside the Cypress Recreation Center at 881 West Avenue in Port Reading, is staffed by students in Woodbridge's R.I.S.E. (Reaching Individual Student Excellence) program.

The R.I.S.E. students work as hosts, waiters/waitresses, cooks and more. The goal of the program is to transition students from school to adult life by providing job training and workplace preparation in a kitchen/food services environment — all while delivering customers their orders.

“This café is so important to our special-needs community,” said Mayor John McCormac. “A classroom can only teach you so much, but the café lets these students get out in the field and work at a job, and learn skills that will prepare them and help them be successful beyond the classroom.”

Mayor Mac's Café is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and serves breakfast and lunch. Reservations are not required. Call (732) 596-4165 for information or order takeout.