Hugs Café Inc. inaugurated a new $10 million headquarters in McKinney on July 2, consolidating its operations into a single location. The two-story, 13,500-square-foot building at 221 Andrews St. houses the nonprofit’s café, administrative offices, and hospitality training academy.
The facility is designed to increase the organization’s capacity to serve adults with disabilities. According to founder and CEO Ruth Thompson, the new space doubles the number of trainees that can be served simultaneously, raising the class size from six to 12 participants. The nonprofit can now accommodate up to 32 individuals during each 12-week semester.
The building includes a training kitchen, four classrooms, a rooftop deck, and an outdoor patio. This expansion allows Hugs to better prepare participants for careers in the hospitality sector.
Funding for the project included a $970,000 contribution from the McKinney Community Development Corp. for infrastructure improvements. KDC served as the developer, Corgan acted as the architect, and Brasfield & Gorrie was the contractor. Construction on the site began in May of the previous year.
