Rigby’s Cafe et Amour offers customers a place to hang out with new party venue

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RIGBY

Owners of Rigby coffee shop say new party venue is a popular hangout for customers

RIGBY – Cory and Christina Christiaens were newcomers to Rigby when they started serving coffee, smoothies, hot chocolate and other drinks out of a small food trailer at Rigby South Park. Today, they have a permanent brick-and-mortar location with an expanded menu and a party venue.

The eatery opened inside the old post office at 186 East Main Street in 2023. It offers breakfast and lunch items, such as danishes, croissants, cookies, brownies and other baked goods, along with sandwiches. In addition to coffee, the drink menu includes Italian soda, cider, frappes, Lotus and Red Bull energy drinks, and more.

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At the start of the year, the Christiaens unveiled a party venue in the second half of the building. It includes arcade games and a corner for electronic gaming, as well as a pool table and karaoke room.

Cory told EastIdahoNews.com the idea for the new amenities stemmed from their desire to provide a hangout place for the community.

“There isn’t a lot to do in town that isn’t restaurant-related,” Cory says. “We wanted something that doesn’t cost very much to be here for a few hours — something to do after school or during the summer for kids or those that want to act like kids for a couple hours.”

It’s open during the day for anyone who wants to use it. It can also be reserved after hours for birthday parties and other occasions.

Take a tour of the building in the video above.

Cory and his family moved to Rigby in 2019 after a career in the Navy. He’d just graduated from college at the time, and the duo was hoping to live closer to his family in Bozeman, Montana.

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Cory says a Navy buddy who worked at the Idaho National Lab told them eastern Idaho was a great place to live and pointed them to a house that was for sale in Rigby. The Christiaens fell in love with the place as soon as they saw it.

“This was the closest, family-friendly area that we could afford,” says Cory. “We just happened here by accident. It’s been great, though.”

After setting up shop in 2021, Cafe et Amour — which means “coffee with love” in French — quickly grew in popularity. From the beginning, Cory says their dream was to have a brick-and-mortar location.

They saw a “for lease” sign on the old post office building as they drove past it one day and decided to take a look.

It turned out to be a good fit, and the rest is history.

The post office operated in this building for decades. It moved to Main Street from its original location in March 1955, according to the Rigby Star. It’s not clear what the space was used for before then.

Since the new post office opened at 165 South State Street, the Main Street building has changed hands numerous times. A shaved ice venue occupied the space for a time, along with H&R Block. An outfitter shop and a boutique store were there before Cory and his wife moved in.

Cory says they’re happy with the building and are grateful for the support of the community. Although Cory says he’s open to the idea of franchising, right now he’s just focused on serving customers.

“Hopefully, this is a popular place five years from now,” he says. “We don’t really want to open another one. It’s just me and my wife, and that’s a lot of work for two people. Franchising isn’t something we’ve thought of yet.”

Cafe et Amour is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The drive-thru opens at 6:30 a.m. It’s open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The party room is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and maintains the same weekend hours as the restaurant.

To reserve the space after hours or to learn more, visit the Facebook page.

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