About Us
What to Expect
Café Connection is open Wednesday nights from 4:30pm – 7pm at 201 S. Jackson St. in downtown Jackson. You can expect quality food, restaurant style service with sit-down dining, live music, and more at no cost. We’re supported by donations, not meal tickets.
We welcome walk-in guests. For priority seating and to help us prepare for the evening, we encourage reservations online or by calling us at 517-784-3151. If you call us, please provide us with your name, how many guests will be with you, and what time you plan on arriving.
When you arrive, our hosts will provide you with a menu and walk you to your table. We have a variety of dinner table sizes accommodating dinner parties if you go out to eat by yourself or if you get together with friends and have a table for eight.
We are kids friendly! We have coloring pages, crayons, and high chairs. You can ask for kid size portions of any menu item. And, yes, we have mac ‘n cheese for the kids.
A server will wait on you throughout the night. There’s no tips, just excellent service. There will be a musician playing off and on throughout the night for ambience in the space.
Whenever you’re ready to leave, you’ll get your bill – it’s free! If you’d like to support Café Connection, we do have a table in the corner of our space that has information about volunteering, social media, feedback, and donations.
We hope that you bring friends or family with you and enjoy a night with us!
Our Story
Café Connection began as a dream. Logan was inspired by a church in California who served the homeless population of their neighborhood in a restaurant style Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of the efficiency of a cafeteria style meal, the experience of table service celebrates every guest’s dignity and story.
What would that look like in Jackson?
Every Wednesday night, from 4:30 – 7pm guests have the opportunity to come have a great dinner at no cost. We’re supported by donations, not meal tickets. All are welcome to donate to the café as they’re able, through financial gifts, volunteering, or simply being present.
Café Connection is located at the First Baptist Church of Jackson (FBC JXN) on S. Jackson St. in downtown Jackson. While we’re located at the church, Café Connection is designed to be a restaurant for everyone.
At Café Connection we don’t believe in churchy bait and switches. Our restaurant is not secretly an invitation to a sermon and altar call. We really believe that dinner and table conversations are transformational on their own.
Our values
Café Connection is a place to serve a restaurant style dinner experience with warm food, excellent service, and creative opportunities for meaningful conversation. We hope to cultivate people who share meals as a way of nutritional, social, and spiritual growth.
Through the simple act of food service, we are looking to provide connection. In today’s fast pace world, with so many distractions and things competing for our attention, eating a meal around a table is something that is not common.
We want to provide an opportunity for our community to disconnect from worldly distractions and re-connect with other people and God around a dinner table.
“I decided that it was time I let someone else know of the dream I had of starting a restaurant in our church to serve our community.”
Logan Dodge
Want to serve with us?
Are you passionate about providing people with an opportunity for a great meal, excellent service, and meaningful conversation? We would love to partner with you. Fill out our volunteer signup form to connect with us!
