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BEARY HUNGRY

Family favorite Build-A-Bear Workshop continues to up the experiential ante at its stores. Its latest effort is a partnership with Chicago-based Levy Restaurants to open the Eat With Your Bear Hands Cafe within Build-A-Bear’s new, 21,500-square-foot New York City flagship.

The café, which opened Sept. 16, serves meals that require no utensils, such as mini hot dogs, french fries, chicken nuggets and pizza strips. Parents can choose more refined fare, such as Asian and Cobb salads and gourmet sandwiches.

Just like Build-A-Bear’s retail experience, the new café is experiential as well. Children can create and design their own bear-shaped sugar cookies with icing that comes in a variety of rainbow-colored tubes.

The café seats 100 people and includes three private party rooms that can be rented out for groups of 20 or more. The store charges $10 per child for such events. For the time being, no plans have been announced to open such cafés in any of Build-A-Bear’s 200 other stores.