Planning Library · §3 + §9.2 Operations

How the building runs.

Phased staffing, hours of operation, programming cadence, and the daily rhythm of café + farm stand + education center under one roof. Six days per week at launch; expand to seven once the second hire is in place.

Staffing plan (phased)

Executive Director
Drew Keske (founder)
Operator-in-chief at launch: running daily operations, curating programming, building partnerships, managing the space, grant writing, bookkeeping. Hours stabilize at 20–25/week by Phase D.
Cook
First hire — Phase C
Operational from day one of opening. Owns the café kitchen, daily menu execution, prep, supplier receiving, kitchen sanitation, and Health Department compliance.
Programming Coordinator / Food Operations Assistant
Second hire — Phase D (within 12–18 months)
Either programming-leaning (workshops, films, community table dinners, partner outreach) or operations-leaning (farm stand, EBT, inventory, retail). Hire shape depends on what the GM is most stretched on at the time.

Year-1 jobs created (FTE): 2 — founder + cook. Section 8 core metrics target.

Hours of operation (launch — six days/week)

Closed Mondays. Monday is the admin day.

Monday
Closed. Admin day — farm ordering, bookkeeping, programming planning, grant writing, email.
Tuesday – Friday
8 AM – 3 PM. Café + farm stand. Evening events on scheduled nights.
Saturday
8 AM – 3 PM. Expanded farm stand. Weekend event programming.
Sunday
9 AM – 2 PM. Lighter hours.

Once a second hire is in place (Phase D), expand to seven days with Monday as a lighter-hours day (coffee and farm stand, no full kitchen) or rotate staff to give Drew a full day off.

Daily operation — three programs, one room

Café service

Counter service, seat-yourself open seating, seasonal rotating menu (pizzas, burritos/wraps, salads, soup, coffee/tea, baked goods).

Farm stand

Curated daily produce from Banks–McMinnville corridor farms. Value-added products such as honey, preserves, and baked goods. SNAP / EBT acceptance is proposed pending retailer authorization.

Education programming

Owned and curated by Groundworks. Partners welcome as guest contributors. Two events/week on a set schedule.

Composting

Local composting service or partner-farm pickup from opening. Vendor and cost still need local quotes.

Programming cadence (launch)

A set weekly schedule. Scale with capacity.

  • →Two events per week at launch.
  • →One weekday evening session (workshop or cooking demo).
  • →One weekend event (film night, guest talk, or community table dinner on rotation).
  • →Community table dinner within first month of opening.
  • →Kegs for a Cause within first month of opening.

Alcohol licensing

Proposed in phases, pending Oregon review.

The operating model proposes event-based service before any permanent beer-and-wine service. The Oregon license type, eligibility, local conditions, timing, and fees still need review with the responsible state and local authorities. Open questions for counsel live in the Attorney Brief.

Bilingual commitment

Bilingual signage and menus at launch.

At launch: bilingual signage and menus. Over time: bilingual social media, selected programming in Spanish, and bilingual staff where possible. Community listening should confirm the languages most useful in McMinnville and across the corridor.