Cakewalker's Caffé: A Sanctuary for Med Students and Telecommuters

For about two years now, Lead Character and his friends have been frequenting a quaint little cafe called Cakewalker's Caffé, located at The Strip along Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City.

Lead Character used to wonder why it's called Cakewalker's, and why Caffé is spelled as such. He never really got the chance to ask the owner, but based on his online research, he learned that Caffé is cafe in Italian, and that cakewalk either means (a) n., a strutting dance performed by minstrels or (b) n., an easy accomplishment. Lead Character is not sure about the Italian part, because their menu is very Filipino-American, which includes bacon and egg with rice, and a clubhouse sandwich. As for the definition of cakewalk, he'd like to propose a new dictionary entry:

cakewalk, v., to spend hours at a cafe, whether productively or not, to:

1. escape the drudgery that is your very own lower middle-class home and work (this is if you're a telecommuter like Lead Character and JabberedOnion)
2. review for the medical board exam with your study group (this is if you're med students who enjoy throwing medical words at each other)
3. discuss your legal options with your lawyer (this is if you're a call center agent who just got fired--as witnessed a few months back by Lead Character's friend, who couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation)
4. eavesdrop on other people's conversations (not that Lead Character can help it--yesterday, a recruiter was quite loud describing how interested candidates can work in the UK, with special mention of how the job could change their lives forevah)

Cakewalker's Caffé does not really offer the best coffee; Lead Character still prefers Starbucks and the brewed coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, but it has a couple of standouts, like its selection of Caffé Signature Drinks. It does not offer the best cakes as well (which made Lead Character suspect right from the beginning that the name Cakewalker's might not have anything to do with cakes at all). Recently, though, Lead Character was able to try a slice of what he can only describe as effing decadent.

That being said, the one thing that makes Cakewalker's better than any other coffee shop in the city is its customer service. Its baristas are polite and proactive. When they catch you smoking outside, they take the initiative to bring you an ashtray. When there aren't any more electrical outlets available for you to charge your laptop, they lend you an extension wire. They also say "Thank you for coming" in the most natural way. Starbucks baristas can get phony sometimes, nauseatingly overzealous with their work. At Mr. Coffee, it sometimes feels like they don't care whether you're a customer or not. At Figaro, their demeanor gets lost in their good looks. And don't even get me started on Brown Cup--they complain when you hand them a five-hundred-peso bill and what you ordered is just worth Php100. One time, a Brown Cup barista called a customer a "bitch." Not cool.

Aside from grade A customer service, the ambiance at Cakewalker's is relaxing, like your very own home on a rainy afternoon; you just want to stay indoors and curl up with a book, or browse profiles on Facebook. Several times Lead Character has slept in one of its couches, without having to worry about being judged.

So in case this is the first time you've heard about Cakewalker's, do drop by, order a cup of coffee, just let go, and for the first time in your life, cakewalk.