A new type of cafe in Bend is aimed at families with young children. The Play Theory Cafe is filled with activities for kids to explore, learn and socialize while parents and caregivers enjoy food and drinks from the cafe.
The 4,000-square-foot space is located on NE Third Street in Bend next to Bootbarn. It’s an indoor playground geared toward younger children from infants to age eight. There’s an emphasis on imaginative play, active learning, and STEM activities (science, technology, engineering and mathematics.) A pretend town encourages kids to be a construction worker, veterinarian, pizza maker, camper and vendor. There’s a play structure with slides and a climbing area; an infant area with sensory toys; and four exhibits that explore flight, wind, light, gravity, magnetism and biology.
A husband-wife team with a four-year-old and twin two-year-olds is behind the idea. Their goal was to create the vibe of a children’s museum combined with a playground and a comfortable, friendly place for adults to enjoy food and socialize.
“There aren’t enough services for kids and women. We have a really long winter season, a hot summer smoke season and there’s just not enough indoor things to do with the kids,” Eylene Pirez told The Source. “We wanted to create a kind of community hub for parents. We wanted a place that moms can come and get their coffee and drink it hot and be with their kids.”
Pirez is a physicist and especially excited about the scientific play space. Kids can dig for real fossils at a table filled with sand or experiment with light.
Play Theory Cafe will serve coffee drinks, tea and eventually beer and wine. Sandwiches, salads and pastries from Sparrow Bakery will also be for sale along with snacks like popcorn and ice cream. Pirez says eventually they hope to expand the menu.
There will be live closed-circuit television cameras throughout the building, so parents can see their children at any play area. Pirez says there’s also a private room where she will host classes for children to learn music, language and science or celebrate birthdays. In the future, she’ll plan monthly and seasonal events.
The Play Theory Cafe will open on Friday, May 30. It’ll be open seven days a week from 8am-5pm, closing early on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. The fee is $15 a day for unlimited play for the first child and $10 for siblings. Children over the age of 8 will cost $5. Pirez says there will be a happy hour rate from 3:30-5pm and package deals.
“We’re just excited to give people a space to come with their kids that we know is desperately needed around here,” Pirez says.
This article appears in Source Weekly May 22, 2025.
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In an era where parents believe in free range kids………..isn’t every place fitting this business model now?