Kevin Cox and Nate McCardell (center and right) did the build-out themselves; Kevin’s brother Brian, left, brought his culinary skills to the expanded venture’s modestly priced dinner menu. | Photo by J. Adrian Wylie
Neighborhood coffee shops and cafés have increasingly turned to adding alcoholic spirits, as the Observer noted last year. A fresh example lies in the unincorporated village of Dixboro, where the latest owners of the longstanding Moon Winks Café have expanded into full-service dinner and drinks with Moon Winks Tavern.
Co-owner Kevin Cox says that, aside from the upscale Dixboro Project, “there’s not much here in this immediate area that the community can come to and have drinks. The Boro [the Dixboro Project’s all-day café/bakery] does very well. But you know, we needed something more.”
He and Nate McCardell, his construction industry partner and “best friend,” personally modernized the Plymouth Rd. café upon purchasing it two years ago. (Founded by Roberta Tankanow and her son Andy in 2006, MoonWinks Café, as it was then spelled, takes its name from the restaurant in New York state’s Southern Tier where her parents first met.)
Related: New Owners at Moon Winks
Moonwinks Cafe
The new adjacent tavern also features Cox and McCardell’s own handiwork, including a twelve-seat bar planed from live edge slabs of honey locust. Formerly office space in a multi-tenant building that was once a horse saddlery, the tavern connects with the café, doubling total capacity to about 100. There’s additional seating at new picnic tables outside, where patrons can order via QR codes.
Cox says that when the additional space became available, they “jumped on the opportunity” even before deciding how they’d use it. They didn’t want to simply expand the café, but cooking options are somewhat limited by deed restrictions based on the septic system’s capabilities.
With partnerships from local suppliers and the hands-on culinary efforts of Cox’s older brother Brian, they arrived at a modestly priced dinner menu including sliders (short rib, brisket, pork belly, and eggplant), tacos, rectangular individual or shareable pizzas with a medium-thick crust, and desserts. After the daily switch-over from the café’s expanded sandwich and salad menu, full table service extends throughout the combined establishment.
Cox, a Huron High grad who grew up along Ford Rd. and now lives in northeast Ann Arbor’s Orchard Hills neighborhood, says Moon Winks is filling a need for more affordable sit-down dining options along the Plymouth Rd. corridor. “We’ve kept it so that people who come in and have a family of four are not feeling like they’re putting a strain on their wallet,” he says.
The bar offerings feature several local and regional products, including those of Mammoth Distilling, Ann Arbor Distilling Company, Ypsi Alehouse, and Eastern Market Brewing. He says state rep Jason Morgan’s office helped in expediting their liquor license, allowing the tavern to open in plenty of time for Dixboro’s bicentennial celebration festivities the weekend of Aug. 2–4.
Moon Winks Café & Tavern, 5151 Plymouth Rd. (Dixboro). (734) 994–5151. Café: Mon.–Fri. 7 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Closed Sun. Tavern: Mon.–Wed. 4–9 p.m., Thurs.–Sat. noon–10 p.m. Closed Sun. moonwinkscafea2.com
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