Marx Cafe, On Loyalty and Resilience

November 25, 2020

We’re in Phase 2 of COVID post-lockdown and Marx Cafe, a beloved institution in Mt. Pleasant, is holding on.

While the city permits 50% indoor seating capacity at this time, this excludes bar seating. Since a hefty number of the seats are at the bar, Marx can only hold roughly 25% of what they used to.

To keep them afloat, last Spring a Gofundme page was setup to raise money for Marx, with a goal of 10 grand.  At around 8 grand the Gofundme page was closed, and a check was turned over to Harris, the owner.

The current owner, Harris, bought Marx Cafe in 2006, when business was sub-par. He changed the menu to have a Mediterranean flare, reconstructed the bar, and renovated the windows so that they could open in the Summer time. 

After buying Marx, it took about a year to see the formation of a solid and loyal clientele, and for Marx to establish itself as a beloved neighborhood institution.

Harris was kind enough to chat with me back in June about where things stood.

“I’ve the met the most wonderful people over the years,” said Harris.

The city has extended financial lifelines to struggling establishments, so I asked Harris if he has been able to harness any financial assistance.

“I got some of this money, but it’s so confusing for me and it has so many restrictions, and I am so scared to use it because I don’t want to be more in debt.  It’s not clear how to use it…they don’t make it easy…”

“It sounds like you’re a little pessimistic, or somewhere in between?” I asked.

“My feeling is a little pessimistic about this because nobody clarifies anything.”

In all, outdoor seating has helped and so has the limited capacity indoor seating too, so I asked if he was optimistic at all.

“Oh no no, I am very pecimisstic.”   He acknowledged that while things have improved, there’s no way of knowing how Winter will affect business.

“I hope I’m wrong Dave, but that’s what I think.”

It felt appropriate to bring a fellow long-time patron into the fold of this article.  Enter Hakim, who happens to be a good friend of mine. 

I met up with Hakim on a Friday evening at a nearby park.

“Harris came in and he sort’ve had a Greek mentality…very hospitable, like ‘your family is my family,’ and he just started getting regular customers.” 

“Did it become more popular when Harris came in?” I asked.

Hakim replied instantly, “Oh very much so.  Especially with the neighbors.” 

We touched on Brunch, Happy Hours, frequent drink-ups with friends to watch Soccer, and then of course, Harris.

“I call him on the phone for anything.  He’s actually a friend, not just a restaurant owner.”

“He’s struggling, but you know, he’s hanging in there.  We all admire him for not giving up.”

I asked Hakim for any last words he could give about Marx.

“It’s just my home away from home.”