This post is written by guest blogger, Steven Amrhein, Intern at Old Town Cape.

Q: Who are you and when did you open the business?

A: We are the owners, Allen and Albert, and we do everything here at Socials Café and Catering - whether it be cooking, prepping, serving, or cleaning - we are your guys. The café opened downtown in April 2007 in a building that is over 110 years old that is now known as "The Bar" that was used in Gone Girl. Everything in the old building was built from scratch from our ideas and what we wanted the café to be. However, eventually it was time to improve and expand our vision that consisted of being closer to the river in a nicer space - even if it meant that we had to carry everything over ourselves through the alley way. Socials currently is located at 31 N. Main Street and has been since July 2011.

Q: What makes your business unique?

A; What began as a sandwich shop now offers a variety of menu items including salads, side items, soups and more. In fact, the only thing that is still from our original menu is the chicken salad, which has been known to sell out because of what makes us truly unique - the freshness. We are very "anti-tub," meaning that nothing that we buy is prepackaged. 95% of our food is made right here in downtown Cape including the bread, soups, and meats. Everything else is bought locally.

Another great thing that makes us unique is that we are the only all open front café in Cape Girardeau. The entire front of the restaurant can be opened and usually is in the spring before the bugs invade. We are actually looking into purchasing screens so that the doors can stay open during the summer as well in order to provide a better atmosphere for Main Street.

Q: Why did you choose to locate your business downtown?

A: It's all about the memories. Growing up in Cape Girardeau, we remember the buzz about going downtown for festivals and to visit new stores. I, Albert, move away for about ten years and came back to Cape with a new passion for wanting to have my own place downtown. On the west side of town, there are so many chain stores and we felt that Socials would be lost or hard to find over there. We also specialize in building relationships on a smaller basis, so we felt that downtown was the right fit for us.

The business is slowly growing and changing. What used to be 8am to 5pm every day has changed to better fit visitor's needs. Socials is now open six days a week: Tuesday & Wednesday from 8am to 3pm; Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 8am to 8 pm; and Sunday from 9am to 1pm. If you decide to stop by for a visit, we recommend trying the Clubhouse Grille (Allen's favorite) or the Chipotle Chicken and Bacon (Albert's favorite).