Cafe Mozaki opens at the Columbia Public Library

Bruce Miller reads to his son, Charley, 2, in the seating area of Columbia Public Library's new coffee kiosk, Cafe Mozaki, on Thursday. The kiosk opened for business on Friday.   ¦  Elisa Day

COLUMBIA — The coffee stand at the Columbia Public Library is brewing anew.

The Patel brothers — Zaki, 22, and Sohail, 26 — of Daylight Donuts opened Cafe Mozaki on Friday at the kiosk in the library's lobby. The kiosk has been vacant since Lakota Coffee Company left in June.

The cafe, which gets its name from the combination "Mo" (for Missouri) and Zaki, will operate using the furniture and equipment the library purchased from Lakota for $6,500.

“We figured it was at our advantage since it was already installed,” said Elinor Barrett, associate director of the Daniel Boone Regional Library, for which the Columbia Public Library serves as headquarters. “We were confident we’d eventually get someone here, and it would help attract a vendor.”

Cafe Mozaki plans to offer a variety of beverages, including cappuccinos, lattes, coffees and teas.

“There will be some pastries too,” Zaki Patel said. “But not as many as at Daylight Donuts.”

The stand will begin brewing daily when the library opens its doors and close at 7 or 7:30 p.m., once library traffic slows.

The Patels have signed a one-year contract with an option to extend for four additional one-year terms.