Breakaway Cafe
Breakaway Cafe is a people forward cafe, owned by seacoast local, Ben Cole. Breakaway is open 7 days a week located on the historic corner of Central + Third. They serve a variety of items including award winning espresso, house made bagels that sell out every day, fresh egg sandwiches, Lox cured in house, seasonal drinks, vegan/gluten free options and a variety of hand crafted pastries. Breakaway is truly a place where all are welcome that focuses on bringing people together and giving the fast growing City of Dover a unifying space that is unique and provides a local feel.
Ben started his journey as Kitchen Manager at the cafe under it's previous name, Flight Coffee Dover (FCD). With years of experience as a chef, Ben was lifted up by the previous owner, Kelly Bower to empower his team and create something unique.
"Having the opportunity to bring the high level of execution into an environment focused on lifting people up has changed my life. Since I was 15, kitchens have been my family, and with those families came anger, tears, and unhealthy lifestyles. It was all I knew before I came to Breakaway. Being here has allowed me to develop a style of leadership that brings the passion of a professional kitchen while focusing on building people up" says Ben while talking about the impact of Breakaway on his career. In July 2022 Ben purchased Flight Dover. With the support of his team he was able focus even more on local events, art, and community support. The shop pushed its local music program further into alternative music and continued to build it's own identity.
On April 1st of 2024 the cafe entered a new era, officially changing it's name to Breakaway Cafe. The website stated that everything would stay the same, staff, menu, ownership, and a general mission of community passions.
When asked what prompted the name change Ben stated "I will always be thankful to the people who helped create the cafe with me. Today I see a team working hard for a vision that we have all created together. When I thought about how their commitment to the community gave people a place to break away from their routines and every day stresses it was clear to me that it was time for us to break away ourselves, with a name that represented all of the hard work the team is currently putting into the history of Dover."
Breakaway is one of the community hubs of Dover, powered by a dedicated team of service industry experts sharing their passion for espresso and scratch made food.
