By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

City Cafe in Fayetteville is expected to open by Labor Day week, owner Doreen Schatte said last week.

In a special called meeting Thursday, City Council approved a change in its ordinances that will grant the restaurant an 80 percent exemption from fees charged new businesses to cover their impact on water and sewer services.

Council passed the ordinance recently to attract "quality restaurants" to its historic downtown Main Street district, but City Cafe had already begun construction, just missing out on the benefit.

Council members in recent discussions have agreed that the restaurant is exactly the kind of business they want to attract to downtown, but a change in the ordinance was required in order to grant the exemption.

Delayed by rain during early construction, the cafe is almost ready, said Schatte, but she and husband Jorg want to make sure staff are fully trained before opening.

They are hoping for Labor Day week, she said, but that's not cast in stone.

The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with a European flavor, and German pastries and treats will be available for breakfast. The two-story restaurant building also will house the couple's catering operation.

City Cafe will be a restaurant as well as a bakery, with about 50 seats inside and the same number outside, Jorg Schatte said recently. The Southern-style building will have a fire place for ambience, and other architectural touches such as a stamped concrete floor. "It will be a great asset to the city," said Schatte.