Hugs Café Inc. has opened a new $10 million headquarters in McKinney, a facility designed to expand job training and employment opportunities for adults with disabilities. The nonprofit organization moved its operations into the two-story building on July 2, consolidating its café, hospitality training academy, and administrative offices under one roof.
The 13,500-square-foot facility is located at 221 Andrews St. in downtown McKinney. McKinney is about 11 miles south of Anna. The building includes a training kitchen, four classrooms, a rooftop deck, and an outdoor patio. This new location allows the organization to double its capacity for serving trainees at one time, increasing the number of participants per class from six to twelve.
Ruth Thompson, the founder and chief executive officer of Hugs Café, stated that the expanded capacity enables the organization to train up to 32 individuals during each 12-week semester. The facility aims to prepare adults with disabilities for careers in the hospitality industry.
The McKinney Community Development Corp. contributed $970,000 to help fund the project by covering infrastructure improvements. KDC served as the developer for the project, with Corgan acting as the architect and Brasfield & Gorrie serving as the contractor. Construction on the building began in May of the previous year.
