Café Operator for the Oshry | Kipnes Jewish Community Centre
14205 - 109 Avenue
Anticipated Café Opening: March 2027
Opportunity
The Oshry | Kipnes Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is seeking proposals from qualified operators to establish and operate a café within its new community facility opening in early 2027.
The café will operate as an independent business within a multi-use community facility with an expected café opening date in March 2027.
The café will be in the building’s main gathering space and is envisioned as a welcoming destination serving community members, visitors, tenants, staff, and program participants. The successful operator will create and manage a café that complements the JCC’s role as a vibrant community hub while reflecting the JCC’s values and food service requirements.
The JCC welcomes creative proposals and is open to a variety of café concepts and business plans.
About The JCC
The Oshry | Kipnes JCC is finishing construction in the McQueen neighbourhood in Edmonton. Once completed, the JCC will serve as a central destination for Edmonton’s Jewish community and will be a hub of culture, learning, celebration, and connection. While rooted in Jewish values and traditions, the facility will be an inclusive space welcoming of the entire Edmonton community and will host a wide variety of programs, meetings, event rentals, celebrations, and cultural gatherings.
The café is intended to become an integral part of the daily experience within the building by providing a warm space to gather, work, meet, and connect.
While the café operator will run the café, some coordination around use of space with JCC tenants, programs, rentals, and events may be required.
Café Opportunity
The JCC Anticipates Providing
- A dedicated café/servery area including food preparation space and equipment.
- Café seating area.
- Access to surrounding common areas.
- Preferred, non-exclusive status to the operator as the go-to caterer for events and programming in the JCC. The JCC will put forward and recommend the café as the available in-house option for event rentals.
- Dedicated storage space in building.
- Dedicated parking spot.
The equipment to be provided by the JCC and the layout of the café/servery space are detailed in Schedule A: JCC-Provided Equipment and Servery Layout, attached to this RFP. This schedule contains information held in confidence and is only for the purpose of informing a potential applicant. This information should not be shared with anyone not involved in responding to this RFP. All details listed in Schedule A are subject to change at the sole discretion of the JCC.
The café/servery is intended exclusively to serve JCC staff, tenants, visitors, and participants in programs, rentals, and events held at the JCC. Café customers may consume their purchases on the premises or take them away. The space may not be used for off-site catering, wholesale production, supplying other business locations, or other commercial food preparation unrelated to these permitted uses.
The successful operator will manage the café’s day-to-day operations and routine business decisions in accordance with JCC policies and the operating agreement. The overall café concept, general menu direction, service approach, operating hours, and significant changes to these arrangements will require consultation with and approval by the JCC.
The Operator’s Responsibilities Include
- Café concept development.
- Staffing and training.
- Menu development and food service.
- Purchasing and inventory management.
- Customer service.
- Cleaning and sanitation inside the servery as well as the adjacent community spaces used by café operations such as the seating area.
- Daily care and routine maintenance of the servery and all fixtures and equipment.
- Liability insurance of at least $5,000,000, with the JCC named as an additional insured.
- Regulatory compliance.
- Coordination with JCC programming and events.
Shared Use of Servery
At times, other building tenants and/or 3rd party caterers will require access to the servery space, potentially without the operator or their staff being present.
JCC tenant Temple Beth Ora (TBO) will have use of the servery space and food preparation equipment such as microwave and hot water dispenser, as well as a limited amount of shared refrigerated storage. TBO will only make use of the space in conjunction with Saturday services and other religious functions outside of normal operating hours. TBO will be responsible for complete cleaning of the servery and equipment following each and every use.
The operator remains responsible for daily care and routine maintenance of shared equipment. Responsibility for arranging and paying for repairs or replacement of equipment shared with other tenants or third-party caterers will be discussed with shortlisted applicants and agreed before final selection. These arrangements will be documented in the operating agreement.
Operating Hours
The café is expected to operate Monday to Friday, providing service during morning arrivals for staff and tenants and throughout the lunch period. The JCC is seeking operating hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with final hours open to discussion. Additional consideration should include evening and weekend programming that will drive foot traffic into the building.
Café operations will follow the JCC’s holiday closure schedule, including designated Jewish and statutory holidays.
Naming and Signage
The café/servery space bears the name “Gail’s Goodies” as part of the JCC’s donor recognition program, and this name will be retained. The operator’s business name will appear alongside it on café signage and JCC directories, in a format approved by the JCC, such as “[Operator Name] at Gail’s Goodies.” All signage wording, design, size, and placement must conform to JCC specifications and receive prior JCC approval.
Food Service Requirements
The café must comply with JCC food policies, including:
- No pork or shellfish.
- No poultry or meat preparation or storage.
- Vegetarian, dairy, and fish offerings only.
- Ongoing availability of some pre-packaged kosher-certified products.
The JCC will operate as a “kosher-style” facility, following the food policies outlined above to reflect and respect Jewish dietary traditions. The facility will not be kosher-certified.
The operator is not required to provide a fully kosher menu, but adherence to these policies, including the ongoing availability of pre-packaged kosher-certified products, is mandatory. Respondents should describe how their menu and food service approach will meet the JCC’s “kosher-style” requirements and how they will source, identify, and maintain pre-packaged kosher-certified offerings.
The operator will be responsible for obtaining and maintaining all licences and permits required for café operations, along with insurance coverage specified in the operating agreement.
Financial Arrangement
The selected operator will be expected to pay rent to the JCC as part of the operating agreement. The operator of the servery will pay its proportionate share of common operating costs based on its usage of JCC spaces and amenities. The costs included and the method for calculating the operator’s share will be discussed with shortlisted applicants and agreed before final selection.
The operator will also be responsible for all applicable taxes to their operation.
The JCC welcomes proposals recommending a financial model that supports a sustainable café operation.
Proposal Requirements
All submitted proposals will be held as confidential to the applicant and the JCC.
Proposals Should Include
- Organization profile and contact information.
- Relevant experience and/or references.
- Café concept.
- Operations and staffing plan.
- Menu ideas and food service approach.
- Recommended financial model and rationale, including preferred agreement length.
- Startup and implementation plan.
Timeline
Milestone Date RFP released September 16, 2026 Questions deadline September 30, 2026 Proposal submissions deadline October 20, 2026 Evaluation period October 21 - November 18, 2026 Shortlist discussions November 10 - 18, 2026 Selected operator notification Late November 2026 Preparation period December 2026 - February 2027
Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated to find the best possible fit. Evaluation criteria include:
- Café concept and alignment with the JCC’s vision
- Relevant operational experience
- Financial sustainability
- Understanding of food service requirements
- Readiness to implement
- Long-term partnership potential
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted to schedule a more in-depth discussion of their proposal, including financial terms, during the evaluation period and ahead of any final decisions.
The JCC may decline all proposals or discontinue the selection process. Appointment of an operator is conditional on mutually acceptable terms and a signed operating agreement.
The decision to approve or reject a proposal is made at the sole discretion of the JCC. By submitting a confidential proposal to operate the café, you agree to hold harmless the JCC from any action that may result due to their decision.
Submission
Completed proposals, along with any questions or requests for clarification, must be submitted electronically to:
Bar Lavy
Director of Operations
Oshry | Kipnes Jewish Community Centre
[email protected]
Additional Details
Schedule A: JCC-Provided Equipment and Servery Layout
