In the spirit of the 20th anniversary “Elf," Better Together Cafe – located at 1301 N. Chicago Ave – is throwing a family-friendly pop-up themed around the cinematic Christmas classic now through Monday, Jan. 1.
“It’s really about the community and bringing people together,” said Zach Kinzer, who co-owns the cafe with his wife Becky. "If we can do things to facilitate that and bring people together as a family, community and neighborhood, we want to focus on that. South Milwaukee is growing and there are a lot of new families that have come in – we see a lot of them day to day.”
One of the stars of their pop-up menu is the Buddy the Elf Shake, serving up the elf’s four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup. This sweet shake features a candy bar milkshake with Heath bar, Crunch bar and brownie pieces mixed in, then topped with licorice whips, fudge Pop Tart, marshmallows, M&M’s and served with a side of maple syrup. It's certainly tastier than the original spaghetti version Buddy cooked up in the movie.
That’s only the beginning, as Better Together Cafe’s seasonal menu also features the frosted sugar cookie latte, creme brûlée latte, gingerbread chai, eggnog latte and peppermint mocha.
As for the off-menu ambiance, Zach and Becky are big Christmas fans, so it was without question they would put together a pop-up that screamed Christmas – or “SANTAAA!” like Buddy the Elf would.
“We were going back and forth on which Christmas movie we wanted to base it off of," Becky said. “We’re very family-friendly here – we thought that 'Elf' would be a good fit for everybody."
A huge “Welcome Santa” banner hangs in the corner of the cafe, behind a cut-out of Buddy the Elf greeting guests and snowflakes that cover the ceiling throughout the entire cafe.
“The space took seven hours to put everything together," Becky said. "Every snowflake was hand-cut cut and there are about 600 of them."
However, it wasn’t just Better Together Cafe who cut every single snowflake. It was the help of the community that brought this wonderful display to their cafe.
“We had a basket out for the customers to cut if they were in here – they could cut the snowflake and throw it in the basket,” Becky explained. “Almost every day, we had 10-20 new snowflakes cut for us. Our employees got really into it and cut a bunch, our kids cut a bunch and I cut a bunch. A local school classroom cut some for us too.”
“It was a cool community thing that brought everyone together, which is what we are all about: better together,” Zach added.
Buddy the Elf famously said, “There’s room for everyone on the nice list” – and you can find out for sure as, at the end of the month, Santa may pay Better Together Cafe a visit.
To try these Elf-approved drinks and treats today, visit Better Together Cafe Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. or Saturday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. They will also be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year’s Day. And for more information and views of the pop-up, visit the cafe's website, Instagram or Facebook.
Cue Buddy the Elf congratulating Better Together Cafe: “You did it! Congratulations! World’s best cup of coffee (and shake)! Great job, everybody!"
Courtney Bondar is an adventurous Multimedia Journalist at OnMilwaukee, covering all things Milwaukee. Born and raised in Greendale, WI, Courtney has a deep-rooted connection to her hometown and a strong desire to explore and showcase the vibrant city of Milwaukee.
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