Having four people in your connect group makes it much easier to meet at a restaurant or coffee shop. But what should you do if you have 5+ attendees in your group?

One thing to remember is that we want to be honoring to any establishment we visit. Staying too long at a restaurant during a busy time can prevent sales if a table is taken up longer than a meal usually lasts. This can be perceived by that manager and wait staff as disrespectful. But there are ways around this.

The list below features restaurants that don’t have wait staff and coffee shops that stay open late.

Here are the top 5 restaurants that have the perfect space for a connect group.

  1. Ginna’s Cafe (Scheels)

    Ginna’s cafe has daily lunch specials, has decent coffee, and of course has great desserts. What makes Ginna’s cafe a great spot for your group is its large dinning space. Rarely is it busy enough to fill up. Another perk is that Scheels plays Christian music.

  2. Pizza Ranch

    Pizza Ranch is a great location on the south side of Springfield. Though smaller than its neighbor, Golden Corral, it offers a reasonable amount of space making it easy for groups of 8 or less. If your group is much larger than that you can inquire on reserving one of their private rooms. Management is used to seeing Bible studies taking place.

  3. Starbucks (Clearlake)

    Starbucks stands out from other coffee shops due to it’s late hours. Though there are many Starbucks locations in Springfield, the Clearlake location has a large table that seats 8. If you need to charge your phone or bring a laptop, the table is equipped with outlets running along the sides. This spot can be taken up quickly during busy hours, so you’ll need to arrive a little early to make sure it’s available. A north-side location just opened up as well and may be a good backup if the Clearlake location is packed. Finally, coffee.

  4. Culvers

    Culver’s has tables that can be pushed together to accommodate smaller groups. Traditional American food and desserts make it easy to invite other’s to your group. They have no wait staff so you don’t have to be concerned with a tip.

  5. County Market Coffee Bar (Carpenter St)

    This space is not known to many. This Carpenter street County Market location has an upper level eating area. They serve Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company brews and other snacks. Thought the store hours list 5am - Midnight, the cafe hours may vary.

Did we miss anything? Do you have a favorite public meeting location that falls under this category? Let us know here.