Critical    Grind

UPDATES For some reason my update last week didn't send via email so, if you missed it, feel free to check it out here. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : We're halfway through January already. Have you tried our January specials? The Red Dragon Inn Refresher is amazing. The Lorwyn Eclipsed Magic Prerelease was a success! Between our pre-orders and people showing up on Friday we've sold out of the bundles and commanders. We have a few of the 60-card standard decks left and booster

UPDATES I sent out our Annual Grind Newsletter last week. It's the annual recap of the cafe goals and accomplishments, as well as setting new goals for the next year. Give it a look if you're interested. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : I had the honor of planning the 2025 Holiday/2026 Kick-Off Party for Above and Beyond Networkers this last weekend. It was an evening of celebrating small businesses and enjoying our community. The event was at The Parsonage in downtown Plainfiel

UPDATES I sent out our Annual Grind Newsletter earlier. It's the annual recap of the cafe goals and accomplishments, as well as setting new goals for the next year. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : Ash is officially celebrating his 2 year work-a-versary today, January 5th! I can't believe it's been 2 years since he started working here. We couldn't imagine this place without him. The staff went out last night for an Appreciation Dinner. Went to Sovereign in Plainfield and had an

Welcome to 2026! A forewarning, this post is gonna be quite the read. A couple years ago this was two posts. Last year I made it just one and while it makes it long, I think it's better this way. I wanted to get this out closer to the 1st but the last few days have been busy. A YEAR IN REVIEW First a little lore: 16 years ago, I started a tradition for the New Year that instead of creating resolutions I wouldn't keep, I would make a list of tangible goals. Some of them are me

UPDATES Some of you may know but every year I do a recap of the previous year and our goals for the next. Hopefully that email will be finished and sent out Thursday or Friday. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : Wednesday, we'll be open until 3pm and closed Thursday. Critical Grind is excited to be working with a newer non-profit this year, Love Smiles. They are collecting new books, puzzles, toys, board games, and coloring supplies for pediatric cancer patience. The ages for item

UPDATES HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : We will be closed this Wednesday and Thursday. Next Wednesday, we'll be open until 3pm and closed next Thursday. Are you scrambling for Stocking Stuffers or ideas for family gifts? Stop by and pick up one of these board games, RPGs, or items for that TCG player in your life. Critical Grind is excited to be working with a newer non-profit this year, Love Smiles. They are collecting new books, puzzles, toys, board games, and coloring suppli

UPDATES HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : We had the pleasure of hosting a Game Night for the staff and their families from 4Sight iCare in Plainfield. Did you know, Critical Grind offers employee engagement events here at the cafe, or at your business? Our friends at the Joliet Public Library meet here for their book club once a month. This past week they took advantage of our 10pc Toast Catering Trays. Did you know you could order any of our Specialty Toasts as a 10pc tray? Pric

UPDATES HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : We had a great time this weekend for our 4th Annual Cocoa & Gaming with Santa. Thank you to everyone who comes out and makes it their annual tradition. Critical Grind is excited to be working with a newer non-profit this year, Love Smiles. They are collecting new books, puzzles, toys, board games, and coloring supplies for pediatric cancer patience. The ages for items is between 0 & 18, but it's been expressed that babies and older kids a

UPDATES HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : Thank you to those of you who joined us for our Misfit Thanksgiving. Stop by Critical Grind for your holiday shopping! This Week's Event Highlights This is a quick look at this week's events. And of course any day is Game Day at Critical Grind. Just stop in anytime and find your next favorite game. Follow our newsletter and socials to never miss an event! Every link you need to follow us is right here: LINKTREE SPECIAL EVENTS OF NOTE THIS

UPDATES Starting in November we'll be closing early on Wednesdays. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : This week is Thanksgiving. We like to think about what we're grateful for, and it's our customers! This week we celebrate our customer appreciation week with sales every day. RPG Event Updates! --> KIDS RPG NIGHT KIDS RPG NIGHT IS CANCELLED THE 21ST AND 28TH. How it normally works: I email the parents directly, hopefully on the Monday before Kid's RPG Night with the link for sign-u

UPDATES Starting in November we'll be closing early on Wednesdays. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : I want to give a quick highlight to the baby of the team. Our daughter Saphira turns 13 today!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDO! We had so much fun this week! RPGs, Avatar Prerelease, Lorcana Release Tournament, Creator Meetup and more! Keep an eye on our socials and Discord for Thanksgiving Week/Customer Appreciation Week Sales. The New Dungeons & Dragons books are here! We have the Magic Av

UPDATES Starting in November we'll be closing early on Wednesdays. HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS : We had a great time this weekend! Thank you to everyone who came out and played games throughout the weekend. Special shout-out to Kevin Rodgers and Chris Leder for bringing in their game to playtest, and to Theresa from Dessert First for bringing her delicious treats on Sunday! Check out the new items in stock! The new Starfinder and Pathfinder Books are here AND the new D&D book

UPDATES Starting in November we'll be closing early on Wednesdays. SOUP! On any given day we have different soups! They pair great with a toast and a refresher for lunch! Highlights from Lodge Con We had a wonderful time at Lodge Con this weekend. Thank you to our amazing volunteers and players who all came out to participate! SPECIAL EVENTS! Bring your medicare questions to Critical Grind on Thursday at 10am. Sheril Hagie from Advocate Insurance will be here to help relieve

5 Days until Lodge Con!! UPDATES Starting in November we'll be closing early on Wednesdays. Lodge Con is just around the corner! We're only 12 days away and we are SO excited to see this year's growth. Make sure you mark your calendars to come out and visit us! The vendor hall is completely free and the game hall convention passes are only $5/day. Click Here to see the full events schedule for Lodge Con! NEW STOCK RPGs: We received the standard book and limited edition versi

12 Days until Lodge Con!! UPDATES Lodge Con is just around the corner! We're only 12 days away and we are SO excited to see this year's growth. Make sure you mark your calendars to come out and visit us! The vendor hall is completely free and the game hall convention passes are only $5/day. Click Here to see the full events schedule for Lodge Con! Thank you to everyone who made our 3rd Murder Mystery Dinner such a success! Our players showed up in character and dived in to t

19 Days until Lodge Con!! UPDATES I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who voted for us for the Herald News Readers' Choice Awards! We are thrilled to have won BEST in 2 Categories, Family Recreation and Birthday Party Venue! Thank you to our awesome team and all of you! Lodge Con is just around the corner! We're only 19 days away and we are SO excited to see this year's growth. Make sure you mark your calendars to come out and visit us! The vendor hall is comple

Happy October!! UPDATES We're still looking for volunteers to work with us at Lodge Con! Hang out at our vendor table, the game library,...

Happy National Coffee Day! UPDATES We're still looking for volunteers to work with us at Lodge Con! Hang out at our vendor table, the...

This year is just chugging along so fast! NEW ITEMS & UPDATES: We've got the Spider-Man Magic Set AND our RPG items are stocked with the...

Been a very productive and fun week! ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPDATES: Last Tuesday we closed for the morning and our team worked their butts off....