Hey Happy Is Moving Into Cook Street Village

Victorians rejoice! We’ve all been side eyeing the old Starbucks space on Cook Street for months now, wondering what will take its spot.

Well, the answer is here and it is GOOD. 

Cook Street Village is getting its very own Hey Happy (!).

After months of sitting empty, a corporate behemoth will be transformed into the third act of the beloved local coffee spot. They aim to open in January 2027.

I sat down with Hey Happy owners Rob Kettner and Andrew Paquet to hear about the vision for the new location, and when exactly we can expect to get our butts in those new seats.

The vision for Cook Street is straightforward: keep Hey Happy's core values of high quality design, incredible coffee, and delicious food in a vibrant atmosphere, while paying homage to the iconic Cook Street Village neighbourhood.

“The neighbourhood is the biggest thing,” Paquet gushed, “I can’t wait for people to be able to go down to the water and Dallas Road then come visit us. We’re excited to bring our energy, atmosphere, and design to Fairfield.” He admits he’s been dreaming about a Cook Street location for years, long before it was a possibility. 

“The space is really big and it’s wide open – a blank sheet. We can set things up exactly how we want them,” Kettner raved about the space and its sprawling outdoor patio. “With Johnson Street we were working around the constraints of the small, kind of awkward space. Here we have a lot to play with.”

The duo give credit to Rob Jawl of Jawl Properties for reaching out with the opportunity, adding that, “it was important to him that someone local took over the space.”

Hey Happy will once again be partnering with interior design studio Bidgood, the same firm behind their Johnson Street location.

Hey Happy’s new Executive Chef, Chris Klassen, will be a key ingredient to Cook Street. Klassen was an early chef at Agrius, before he moved over to open The Courtney Room alongside Sam Harris (of Cafe Brio, Brasserie L’Ecole, and newly Dough Eyes). He joined the team at Hey Happy a year and a half ago, and since then the cafe’s food sales have shot up, now making up half their total sales. 

Cook Street will have a strong food focus. “Expect all the classics, the Coconut Milk Iced Latte, the Strawberry Cream Dream, our breakfast sandwich… but also expect to see some unique Cook Street items.”

Also unique to Cook Street: BRUNCH. That’s right, this location will offer up a weekend brunch menu. I can already picture myself sitting on that patio after a Saturday morning feast, gazing down tree-lined Cook Street, then heading for a walk down Dallas Road.

The pair know their clientele, and assured me that the new space will be remote work friendly (very important information, as I am currently writing this at a cafe). There will be free wifi, lots of plugs installed, community tables, and “great spaces designed for working”.

I asked Rob and Andrew what success looks like for them. When they sit at their cafe on Johnson Street, what makes them feel like they got it right? And how will that be reflected in the new location?
 
Rob doesn’t miss a beat, “I’ve always been my harshest critic, but… I just get a smile on my face being at the store. Even if it weren’t mine, I would love to hang out here.” 

Hey Happy Cook Street plans to open at 320 Cook Street in January 2027. I’ll plan to see you all there.

Follow Hey Happy’s Instagram for updates.