A new cereal bar brings nostalgia and viral treats to downtown Baltimore

Bright colors line the walls, vintage-style counters gleam under soft lighting and bowls of cereal are transformed into over-the-top milkshakes, waffles and desserts inside Day & Night Exotic Cereal Bar.

While the menu items at the 333 N. Charles St. eatery, which officially opened Jan. 24, are traditionally thought of as breakfast standards, Day & Night presents them as all-day options.

The concept began as a simple idea from an entrepreneur in Santa Monica, California: turn a childhood comfort food into an immersive dessert experience that would take people back to a simpler time. The brand blends familiar cereals with ice cream, doughnuts, waffles and elaborate toppings to create viral, social-media-ready treats.

Signature menu items include milkshakes like the Mucha Lucha, made with Cinnamon Toast Crunch and whipped cream, and the Unicorn Breath, a colorful mix of Fruity Pebbles and Lucky Charms with strawberry drizzle. Customers can also build their own bowls topped with ice cream, whipped cream and crushed cereal.

For local franchisees Brandi Forte and Noel Warner, co-owners of Baltimore’s downtown location, the cereal bar franchise is more than a novelty dessert shop. “We wanted something nostalgic, something fun and family-friendly,” Forte said.

On a recent evening, I watched as Warner welcomed customers, including a couple who came after seeing the eatery on social media. As R&B played softly in the background, Warner pointed out the game options available: UNO, checkers, Connect Four and even a spicy, get-to-know-you card game for those on dates looking to connect on a deeper level.

Day & Night’s social media is filled with people having fun, sampling menu options and vibing — all encouraged by the owners, who have a selfie station in the shop’s foyer. They encourage customers to post the photos and entice others to visit.

“I always wanted to own a franchise,” said Forte, who stumbled across the cereal bar with Warner on a shopping trip to an outlet mall in Virginia with their respective children. “The brand is established. The blueprint is there.”

“I wanted to create a place that brings back childhood memories,” Warner said. “When my daughters and I first experienced a cereal bar, I saw the joy on their faces. I knew that was a feeling I wanted them and other families to have again and again,” Warner said.

Forte and Warner thought the cereal bar would do well in a high-traffic city like Baltimore after finding success as a food truck at Audi Field in Washington, home of D.C.’s professional soccer team. (They had first opened a location in Springfield Mall in Virginia, though they said it was too far from the main food court to do well.) But the family-friendly concept thrived among stadium crowds, with a product that was recognizable and packaged in a way that made it easy to grab a treat. So they turned to Charm City for the next iteration.

Forte, who also runs a nonprofit for at-risk youth, began researching Baltimore while working on projects along Pratt Street. With help from city officials and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, she applied for the Baltimore Culinary Exchange Grant, which helps new food businesses open in the downtown district.

The grant helped her secure a location on North Charles Street, a corridor city leaders have been trying to revitalize with restaurants, retail and entertainment.

When Forte first walked into the space, previously home to a diner and hot dog shop, it was in rough shape.

“The place was a mess,” she said. “But the counters were beautiful, vintage and authentic.”

Warner handled the design, transforming the space with bold black walls, graphic wraps and playful cereal-themed displays.

Since opening, Forte said the response has been overwhelming.

Weekend lines often stretch outside the door. During CIAA tournament week in Baltimore, the shop was packed.

“It’s nostalgia, but it’s also a vibe,” Forte said of the space, which also hosts game nights on weekends. “People come in here and just relax.”

Nearby businesses have embraced the shop as well. Workers from restaurants and shops along the corridor stop in for dessert or trade visits with neighboring businesses.

“It’s about supporting each other,” Forte said.

Many of her staff trained in culinary arts and entrepreneurship through her nonprofit. One of her first hires was a formerly incarcerated person who had completed training through the program and launched her own clothing brand.

Another employee is a local social media influencer. Others rotate in from the food truck operation in Washington.

Forte said giving people a second chance, particularly young women rebuilding their lives, is central to her approach.

“We want this to be a place where people can start over,” she said.

And expansion may already be on the horizon. Forte said the business has recently been offered another potential location, though the details remain under discussion.

For now, she hopes the cereal bar continues to bring energy to downtown Baltimore and remind visitors that when customers walk through the door, they feel something.

“That this place is alive,” she said. “It’s vibrant. It’s positive.”

She paused, looking around the colorful shop.

“It’s a sweet haven.”

LaDawn Black is a Baltimore-based media maven, author and cultural commentator. Follow her @iamladawnblack for sharp takes on love, art, reality TV and everything worth talking about in Bmore and beyond.