WASHINGTON INFORMER: Eating cereal has long been considered a breakfast activity, but D.C.-area author and entrepreneur Brandi Forte and her partner, Noel Warner, have taken the morning meal to an all-day experience with the opening of the Day & Night Exotic Cereal Bar at the Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Virginia.
“We have always wanted to invest in something radical, fun, cool, and innovative — it was as if Day & Night Cereal Bar was calling our name,” Forte, 44, said. “We are thrilled about opening at Springfield Town Center, and we look forward to delivering quality food and a nostalgic experience with a personal touch to our new customers.”
The Day & Night Exotic Cereal Bar (The Bar) was founded in May 2020 in Los Angeles during the coronavirus pandemic by co-owners Karmon DuPree Jr. and Michael Castillo. The company has 10 franchises nationally. The Springfield location is the second in the DMV area, with a franchise operating in Clarksburg, Maryland.
The Bar is located next to the northern entrance of Target. On the wall are replicas of popular cereals such as Boo Berry, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops and Trix. The eatery also offers cereal waffles and cereal shakes. In front of the eatery are three tables with two chairs for customers. The restaurant is closed on Mondays but open from 11-8 p.m. the rest of the week except Sunday, which has 12- 5 p.m. hours.
When asked why she selected a cereal bar instead of another type of cuisine to offer to the public, Forte, a resident of Capitol Heights, Maryland, said she wanted to try something different.
“A cereal bar is more economical and more innovative,” she said. “It is unique. When I first learned about it, I thought it was a phenomenal idea and I decided to try it in the DMV.”
Forte explored setting up her shop in the District, near Howard University and in the Georgetown neighborhood. She said the space she wanted in the Howard vicinity wouldn’t be available in three years and the Georgetown area didn’t work out for her. She decided to look at setting up at the town center because she had a vending machine in the mall.
“I spoke to the property management at the town center, and they told me they had one spot left and I jumped at it,” she said. “It made perfect sense. The great thing about this space is that we didn’t have to do a lot of renovations.”
The Bar has eight employees, mainly family and friends. Forte’s son and daughter also work there.
The author and entrepreneur noted that one of the managers is a product of the Amala Lives Institute, a culinary arts, hospitality and business vocational school for adults in the District, where she serves as CEO.
Forte said her target audience ranges from infants to 50-year-olds.
“We are focused on the generation where people would watch cartoons in the morning and eat cereal,” she said.
Warner, 38 and a resident of Capitol Heights, also, said he is happy about the venture. Warner and Forte have had a business relationship since 2016.
“This is a great idea and I love it,” Warner said. “This is something new and working here is fun.”
Warner also serves as the CEO of FiveStar Powerwashing & Cleaning Services.
Officials with the town center management are pleased with the new establishment.
“We are very excited to welcome Day & Night Exotic Cereal Bar to Springfield Town Center,” said the facility’s marketing director Justin Roth. “This unique offering further diversifies our mix of restaurants and food offerings in the center—plus, who doesn’t want a bowl of cereal at all hours of the day?”
