Buffalo Rising Online

Sep 10th 2007, 8:17am By queenseyes

*The word "fable" comes from the Latin "fabula" ("a story"), from "fari" ("to speak"). Fable, a story with a moral, usually with animals as characters.

Sometimes a business comes along that can change your perceptions about an environment. Take, for example, Fables Café located inside the Buffalo Central Library. Fables is in its third year of business and judging by the looks of it, the restaurant has certainly held its own during that entire time period.

When I stopped in for lunch last week I was surprised (as I always am) by the number of people eating there. The place was packed. That’s because Fables has some of the best lunch sandwiches in the city (at fair prices), and the 3-year old redesign makes it feel like you're back in college (the hustle and bustle certainly helps). I’m the first to admit that I wasn’t quite sure if the Central Library would be the best place for such an eatery. Maybe it’s because I felt that the location was peculiar and didn't have high visibility... but it does get high foot traffic. And the most successful national bookstores are built around food (and coffee).

As I pondered the non-stop bustling activity, Jason Davidson, Co-Owner of Fables, appeared to inquire whether I was going to get anything (other than WiFi), and if I was looking for a window (of opportunity) to place an order. Yes, it was time to eat, but before I headed to the counter I couldn’t help but to ask Jason about his apparent success. “I had faith in the concept,” he told me. “Traditional lunch fare with an upscale flair. Using fresh ingredients from the farmers market has given us that ability. Our clientele is 30 percent library visitors and 70 percent corporate businesspeople. They eat dinner at places like Tempo and the Chophouse and they appreciate good food. A lot of our clientele eats here three days a week. We go through ten-gallons of soup a day. We’re also priced competitively. Fables has been known to take dinner offerings and convert them into lunchtime fare… we really think about what we’re serving and who we’re serving it to.”

Seating capacity at Fables is 65 – with room for another 20 on the front patio. “We serve close to 150 lunches a day and average 200 total with catering,” Jason told me. “The library is very happy with us… we have a great relationship with the people that work here. The remodeling of the library has given the place a Barnes and Noble feel. I think that we add an upscale feel to the library. When people come in for lunch they have the ability of picking up a good book, and while they’re here they pick up a quick meal. We’re trying to cross promote with the library as much as possible. We’ve exceeded our expectations. Every business is looking for a way to grow and we’re looking for a second location at this moment. We’re also looking for ways to accommodate more guests at our current location. We’re maxed out. For a while we had long lines and a tough time meeting demands. We’ve restructured to fix some of those issues. Fables has been operating in the black since day one.”

Hmmm. Another Fables? Is there an area in the city of Buffalo that needs a new eatery? I can think of one… the new Naval Museum alongside the Erie Canal Terminus.

To learn more about Fables, please visit them online at www.fablescafe.com.

1 Lafayette Square | Buffalo, NY 14203 (Located in the Downtown Public Library) Hours : Mon - Sat 8:30am - 3pm | phone: 716.858.7127