Chapter 1: A Dream Fulfilled
I was feeling very sad as I roamed through the nearly-empty aisles of the former Target store in my old hometown. For many years this had been our Target, but on July 20th, 2024, it had closed for good, as Target was building a brand-new store across town, and for the weeks leading up to the closing, Target was pushing the sale of every piece of merchandise in the store at closeout discounts, ranging from 50% off, all the way up to 95% off. I went to the Target during this time, on July 20th, the last day of the store's operation, but I didn't care about the closeout sales happening all around me. Instead, all I cared about was sitting down for one last meal at the Food Avenue Express, aka the Target Cafe. This Target had the very last Food Avenue Express in existence, but now with the store's closing, it was closing too, just like all of the other ones before it.
Since 1990, many Targets all around the US had a Food Avenue Express, also known as a Target Cafe, and they became very popular for their cheap comfort food, and popular Slurpee's, but as time went on, these little cafes weren't as popular as they were before, and by the 2010's, many of them had closed for good, replaced by Starbucks, Pizza Hut Express, or some other generic hole-in-the-wall cafe, but none of them could hold a candle to the Food Avenue Expresses. The Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 was the final nail in the coffin for most of the remaining Target Cafes, but one of them, the Target Cafe inside the old Super-Target in Lee's Summit, Missouri stubbornly held on, even though it was losing money, for another few years, despite everything. But then, with the closing of that Target on July 20th, 2024, the Target Cafe, the last one of its kind, would be closing too.
For some, this closing caused hardly a ripple, but for others like me, who had been coming here since we were kids, it was immensely sad. In the store's last few weeks of operation, people from all over the US showed up to eat at the Target Cafe one last time, and I was there on the store's last day, eating one final meal here just before 11pm, when the store would close for the last time. The 2 people working behind the counter took my order, and with sad, yet stoic faces, they told me that I was now officially the last Target Cafe's last customer ever, and to order whatever I wanted.
"Really? I'm the last customer ever?" I asked, more than a hint of surprise on my face.
"Yep, the last one. The store closes for good in about 10 minutes, and that's the cutoff time for the kitchen. You're the last one here, which makes you the last ever customer at the last Food Avenue Express. Order anything you want."
I sighed, before ordering a hot dog with ketchup, a large pepperoni pizza, a large pretzel with cheese dipping sauce, a grilled cheese with fries, a cherry Slurpee, a regular Coke, and a bag of popcorn. I then paused, and quickly ordered a turkey and provolone pretzel sandwich for the road.
The cashier then rang me up, and told me that with the closing day specials, everything was only $1, so my total was $8. I handed her $10, and told her to keep the change. She then printed out my receipt, which I planned on having laminated, and then framed. Once my food was cooked, the cashier and the cook brought it out to me, and we then took a number of pictures and videos together. The cashier's name was Kaylee Smith, and the cook was Donnie Miller. They were both very nice, and I shared my food with them.
A voice then came over the store's loudspeaker. "Attention all Target shoppers. The time is now 11pm, which means that the store is now closed for the last time. Please take your final purchases, and bring them up to the front. I would like to thank each and every one of you for shopping at the Lee's Summit Super-Target, and for your amazing patronage over the years, and we hope to see you all again at the new Super-Target really soon! Thank you all, and goodnight! This is Store Manager Jack Benson, signing off for the last time. Goodbye everyone!"
I then looked over at Kaylee and Donnie, and raised my Slurpee for a toast. "To the Food Avenue Express/Target Cafe, the greatest in-store restaurant of all time."
Kaylee held up her soda. "To the Target Cafe."
"To the Food Avenue Express." Donnie finished, holding up his frozen lemonade.
We all then toasted our cups, and then quickly finished eating and drinking the last of my food, before I traded contact information with them, and I left the store for the last time, being one of the last customers to leave. I then sighed as I drove home that night, knowing that nothing would ever be the same.
About a week later, on July 30th, the store opened its doors one last time, but now it was no longer Target; it was just an empty big-box store, and they were selling off the last of the merchandise left behind, as well as everything else in the store, including shelves, shopping carts, store displays, various appliances and machines from the deli and bakery, bathroom fittings, signs, the registers, conveyor belts, and so much more. Even the carpets and tiles were for sale. I came to the sale, known as "The Demolition Sale", since after the store closed this time, it would be demolished to make way for a new development, with a single goal in mind. Buy up whatever I could from the old Food Avenue Express, and save it from being parceled off, or worse, left behind to be demolished. Everything was going at bargain prices, and after some shrewd negotiating on my part, the entire Food Avenue Express was closed off with fences, and everything inside had a "SOLD" tag on it. I'd literally bought the restaurant's entire contents, including the floors, seats and tables, appliances, signage, and even the ceiling tiles for $12,000, and ran across town to rent the biggest Uhaul truck and trailer I could find to haul it all home. Once I came back, with some help from my friends and family, we all got to work on carefully gutting the Food Avenue Express, and moving its entire contents out to my Uhauls.
"Dang, you really bought everything?" my brother Austin asked.
"Yeah, I did. I had to jump in and act before it was all gone. I was really lucky too. Literally 30 seconds later, and all of the appliances would have been bought by some guy who buys up appliances from closing restaurants, and resells them. $12,000 in cash upfront really did the talking here."
"And what are you gonna do with it?" My friend Terry asked. "Start a museum or something?"
I shook my head. "No, I had a much better plan in mind. You know Equestria right? That nation full of Ponies that we've had contact with for the past few years or so?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, my plan was to finally fulfill a dream that I've had since I was a young kid; to finally own my own Food Avenue Express, away from Target's influence."
"Oh, and you're gonna build it in Equestria, so as to attract a new crowd of patrons, as well as bring in more Human tourists to capitalize on the nostalgia factor?"
"Yep, that's spot-on, Terry. Now we just gotta finish getting all this stuff out of here, and get it onto the truck and trailer. Then we can get out of here, and I can focus on looking at Equestrian real estate for this venture."
"But....you don't know anything about running a restaurant." My Dad reminded me.
"Which is why this is only a little cafe, rather than a full-blown restaurant, Dad. I'm starting small to get a feel for this, and if it's successful, I may be able to franchise in Equestria."
"But, you don't really have the skills for this, do you?" My Mom asked, concerned.
"I know the basics, yes. Remember, I worked at a fast-food restaurant, and went to community college for a degree in business. I know enough to get started."
"Your dream is whack!" My brother Andrew called.
"Shut it, ash-face!" I yelled at him.
"Hey! Language!" My Dad yelled at me. "And you, knock it off!" He yelled at Andrew.
We all then quickly got back to work on finishing the gutting process, as well as loading up the truck and trailer. Once we were finally done, we left the ex-Target for the last time, and we moved everything to a storage building that my Dad owned, and where I planned to keep everything from the Food Avenue Express until I'd secured a place in Equestria, either to renovate, or to build a small cafe on.
About a week later, once I finally had some time off of work, arrived in Equestria, and began to look into real estate options in Ponyville, as I knew that prices there were reasonable.
"So, what exactly are you looking for, Mr. Fox?" Sure Sell, the Earth Pony real estate agent I contacted for help with this asked me.
"Well, I'm looking for a small development to turn into a restaurant. Nothing major, just large enough to turn into a small cafe, or better still, something that already was a cafe, and it doesn't matter if it's already been gutted, as that would help me immensely, since I was going to be totally redoing the interior anyway."
"So like a little corner cafe, or a corner store?"
"Yes, exactly! Is there anything like that currently for sale here in Ponyville?"
"Let me check my records." She then began typing away on her computer. I was amazed, as up until then, I had no idea that a Pony could type on a keyboard with their hooves, but it was Equestria; strange things happened all the time.
"Yes, I think I have something that you might want to look at. It used to be a cafe, and then it was some kind of corner store, but both ventures failed for undisclosed reasons. The building has been cleared out, and it's in a nice area. Would you like to see it, Mr. Fox?"
"Certainly." I replied.
Sure Sell nodded, and then led the way over to the location. When we arrived, I was surprised. The building was 2-stories, and I was told that the second level contained an apartment, which could also double as an office. It was made of brick and wood, and it looked like a corner store you'd see in any small town across America.
"Hmm, this looks like a corner ice cream parlor in my hometown of Lee's Summit, Missouri. Same style of building, same bricks, same wood, but different colors, and the windows were slightly different. But I'm liking it so far. Now to see the interior."
Sure Sell then led the way inside, and I looked around. It was a bit dusty, and the windows were covered with newspaper and tape, but true to what I'd been told, it was almost all cleared out, save for some shelves, and a few pieces of furniture here and there. I pulled out my tape measure, and began to measure the floor-space, and sure enough, it matched almost perfectly with what your average Target Cafe had been, with enough space left over to add some more seating. The upstairs apartment area hadn't been fully cleaned out, but I was much less concerned about this area, and I liked its older, more rustic look. There was plenty of space for the new cafe's office, in addition to the existing small living room, kitchen, bathroom, closet, and bedroom. All of the lights and plumbing worked as they should, and I carefully checked what had been the previous cafe's kitchen area, and noted all of the electrical, water, and gas hookups, and wondered if any modifications would have to be made to accommodate my appliances for the Food Avenue Express.
"Mr. Fox? If I may ask, if you do buy this building, what were you planning on doing with it?"
I looked over at Sure Sell. "Fulfilling a dream I've had since I was a kid. Operate a very specific type of restaurant, free from the influence of the company that used to own it, and bring back a wave of nostalgia for old fans, and bring in a new crowd too."
"Can you legally do that though?"
I nodded. "Yes, I can. The restaurant in question no longer exists anywhere on Earth, and the Target Corporation surrendered all rights to it when they closed their last location, and allowed it to enter the Public Domain. Now I'm snatching it up, and seeing if I can bring my dream to life."
"And what was this restaurant called? Will you still retain its name, or change it a bit?"
"Originally, it was called the 'Target Cafe', but this was just its unofficial nickname, because it was located inside of Target stores. I will be paying homage to this, but I'll be calling it by its proper name."
"And what was that?"
I smile. "I'll be the proud owner of the Food Avenue Express."
After some negotiations, I was able to purchase the building for a reasonable price, and before too long, signs out front began to read "Coming Soon. Food Avenue Express. Prepare to Relive your Childhood Nostalgia". Initially, there were some concerns over what this restaurant was going to be, as the citizens of Ponyville didn't want something loud and flashy close to the center of town, but upon seeing pictures of what the original Food Avenue Expreses looked like, and how they were just little cafes that served comfort foods, many of them began to eagerly look forward to seeing my new cafe open. Back on Earth, news was buzzing online that a brand new Food Avenue Express was going to be opening in Equestria, this one free from any influence of the Target Corporation. Some reached out to Target to get their take, but were simply told "no comment". They seemed to be waiting for assurances that my new cafe wouldn't be infringing on their brand, which I assured the company's representatives that aside from pictures on the walls of what these restaurants used to look like, as well as perhaps a few pictures of a Target store to show what one looked like for the Ponies who'd never heard of Target, there would be no references to Target anywhere.
"We shall see. But if you are successful in this endeavor, Mr. Fox, then we of the Target Corporation wish you the best of luck. I personally was a fan of the old Target Cafes, and was very sad to see them go. Perhaps you can breathe new life into them in Equestria."
"Thank you, Sir, and I sincerely hope so."
Following my meeting with the Target representatives, construction continued on the new Food Avenue Express at a rapid pace. It didn't take a lot of effort to finish clearing out the lower restaurant area, which was going to be divided into the kitchen, the main dining area, the bathrooms, a storage/mop closet, and the door that would lead up to the second floor area, which would contain my apartment, and the main office. Once everything was ready, and with some help from my Family and Friends, we once again loaded up all of the things from the old Food Avenue Express, loaded them up onto a large Uhaul truck and trailer, and brought them over to the new restaurant location. Once on site, the items were sorted into appliances, ceiling panels, floor tile sections, wall tile sections, tables, chairs, and booths, neon signs, other signs, and miscellaneous.
First to go in were the floor tile sections, and the wall tile sections, The construction crews were surprised that I already had all of these tiles, and in pre-cut squares, rectangles, and other shapes, depending on where they originally went, but they defintely weren't complaining, as it made their job much easier.
"I got to hoof it to you, Mr. Fox, my Crew and I really appreciate you already having most of the materials here, and ready to be installed. I originally thought it was crazy that you bought the entire contents of a restaurant, fittings, tiles, panels and all, but now I thank you for it, as instead of doing all this work from scratch, now it's just like assembling a really big jigsaw-puzzle. And I also thank you for pre-numbering each section of tile, so we know where it needs to go."
I nod and smile. "You're welcome, Dusty. You and your Crew have been doing amazing work. The new Food Avenue Express is going to be so amazing."
Dusty agreed, and the work continued.
Once all of the floors were done, and the walls that had tiles were tiled, then it was time to paint the walls white, install the drop-down ceiling tiles, as well as the lights in them, the HVAC system, security cameras, and of course the all-important fire suppression sprinklers. Then the bathrooms were being built, all of the kitchen appliances were being moved in, the front counter and registers were put in, as was the side alcove counter for the beverage dispenser, and the Slurpee machine. Once this was all done, then the big menu boards were hung up behind the counter, as was the famous "Food Avenue Express" sign, then the multi-colored, curved neon lights around the restaurant's upper walls, and the sign of a cup of Coke, a bag of popcorn, a hotdog, and a pretzel all clustered together, and then it was time to install all of the tables and booths, both the original ones, and a few extra ones I was able to purchase online, which also came from closed Target Cafes. The construction was almost complete, and I was almost in tears as waves of nostalgia were washing over me.
It was like I just stepped into my childhood once again in the early 2000's, and if I closed my eyes, for a brief moment, I could smell the hotdogs, popcorn, and pretzels cooking, hear the rumbling of the Slurpee machine, the dull buzzing of the overhead lights, the chatter of people ordering their food, the sounds of a busy kitchen, happy customers enjoying their food, and even see my 6-year old self begging my Parents to get food at the Target Cafe.....and them saying "no" 90% of the time. It was glorious, it was wonderful, and it was overwhelming. My childhood was coming to life once again.
Once the construction was complete, both downstairs, and a few minor tweaks to the upstairs apartment and office, a bit of light cleaning was done to clear away the dust caused by construction, and then it was time to decorate the rest of the dining room. Aside from the trashcans, with the tray returns on the top, the walls were filled with pictures of the Target Cafes back in their heyday, pictures of all the food they served, pictures of happy customers, and even pictures of the last Target Cafe inside the Lee's Summit, Missouri Target before it closed, which of course was where everything in this restaurant came from. And of course, there were a few pictures of me eating at that Target Cafe as a kid, and even pictures taken by me on the last night of the Target Cafe's operation, and how everything was gutted from the old location, brought here, and reassembled. I also had my receipt from my final order as the last customer ever at the last Target Cafe on its last night of Operation up on the wall, laminated and framed, and I also had a picture of a black pawprint that I wanted to hang, but it didn't fit downstairs, so I took it upstairs in the apartment.
Once I was up there, I hung the picture in the living room, and then I reached the office, and continued filling out paperwork. I was very busy at the moment, as I was now the founder, owner, and CEO of the Food Avenue Express Company, and even though we only had the one location at the moment, if it was successful, I was hoping to franchise it out, until one day, if successful, every town and city in Equestria would have at least one Food Avenue Express restaurant. Though for now at least, franchising was on the back burner, as I had to focus on just getting the first Food Avenue Express up and running, but yet, I was still getting a head start on all the paperwork, as I now owned a fast food company, and there was an awful lot of filing required for that.
As the finishing touches were being put on the interior decorating, the exterior neon sign and lights were being put up and tested, I was accepting the first deliveries of food for the restaurant, and of course, we were hiring and training new staff. I reached out to both Kaylee and Donnie, offering them both a job with my new Food Avenue Express, but both of them had other employment now, and politely declined. However, they both promised to be at the grand opening, and I promised that they would be blown away by it. I also decided on menu items. I was content to keep almost everything the same as it had been before, but I decided to add hamburgers, and by default cheeseburgers, corndogs, chicken strips, onion rings, and mac and cheese to the menu, as well as purchasing an ice cream machine to make cones, shakes, and sundaes. Some people asked me why I was adding to the menu, since I seemed to be so keen on keeping everything original, and my reply was that I had polled many people who used to enjoy Food Avenue Express, and I asked them if anything seemed to be missing from the menu, and these were the most popular responses I got. So rather than retracting from the experience, these new, yet familiar items of comfort food would enhance the experience. Everything looked to be on track for opening day, and the excitement for this day was growing all the time.
Finally, on July 20th, 2025, exactly one year after the last Target Cafe closed for the last time, I was standing in front of a small podium in front of the new restaurant, surrounded by my friends, family, new restaurant staff, Kaylee and Donnie, fans of the old Target Cafes, and many other hungry people and Ponies who had come from far and wide to be here. News cameras were rolling on this historic day, and I took the opportunity to say a few words words before opening the restaurant.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mares and Stallions, Boys and Girls, Colts and Fillies, Humans and Ponies of all ages, it is my absolute privilege and honor to welcome all of you here today. Today is a historical day in the world of fast food, because this day, July 20th, 2025, marks the return of a historic icon, one that stood for 34 years before closing, but now the time has come for it to rise again from the ashes like a mighty phoenix. That's right everyone and everypony, I would like to welcome all of you to the grand opening of the brand new Food Avenue Express!"
All of the crowds began cheering.
"I love the enthusiasm! Anyway, ever since I was a kid, I loved the Food Avenue Express, or as it was also known, the Target Cafe. I always dreamed of owning one of my own, free from the influence of the Target Corporation, and now that dream has finally become a reality, thanks to the hard work and dedication of not only myself, but also my friends and family, Sure Sell the real estate agent, Dusty Concrete and his construction crew, and many more. So let's all put our hands and hooves together and give all of these individuals a big round of applause for making all of this possible."
Everyone and everypony in the crowd then clapped and cheered for everyone and everypony I just mentioned, and I let them continue onward for a few more minutes before motioning once again for silence.
"Thanks to their hard work and dedication, my dream has now become a reality, and I could keep droning on all day about how much this all means to me, but for your sakes, I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to get to the moment you've all been waiting for." I was then handed a large pair of golden scissors by Mayor Mare, and placed them near a large ribbon in front of the front door. "I now pronounce the brand new Food Avenue Express, officially open!" I then cut the ribbon, and with the flip of a switch, the green neon sign over the door turned on, as did the other neon lights, and the red "OPEN" sign. I then stepped aside, and let the crowd of hungry people and Ponies inside, and those who couldn't get inside yet formed a line outside.
As the patrons got their food, and sat down to eat it, while others were looking around at the interior decor of the dining room, many of the Humans in the crowd had a wave of nostalgia wash over them, as they loved the old Target Cafes, and were now reliving some of their favorite memories. Many of them personally thanked me for bringing back such a classic icon, and I told them that I was thankful they enjoyed the fruits of my dream. Everyone and everypony were having a great time, and opening night went off without a hitch.
Over the coming days, weeks, and months, Food Avenue Express remained popular, and soon garnered a dedicated fan-base as a nostalgic tourist attraction, a neat little dive that served great comfort food, and was the scene of many first dates, birthday parties, and other happy events. It turned a nice profit in its first year of operation, and by year 3, I and my business partners (Terry, Kaylee, and Donnie) opened our first new locations, one in Appaloosa, and the other in Dodge City. Sales continued to climb, and pretty soon cities and towns all over Equestria were scrambling to get in on the Food Avenue Express action. We built a 4th location in Canterlot, and this would become the headquarters for the Food Avenue Express Company, with the main Canterlot FAE restaurant becoming the flagship location. It was the largest in terms of size, and continued to capitalize on the nostalgia factors, bringing back the classic tube-tunnel play area, and the 90's arcade, complete with that nostalgic carpet.
With the success of Canterlot, several more Food Avenue Express's were built there, followed by more in Manehattan, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus, Van Hoover, Tall Tale, Rainbow Falls, Starlight's Village, Trottingham, Whinnyapolis, and then we opened our first restaurant outside of Equestria, in the Crystal Empire. Then on the word of Queen Novo, we opened one on Mt. Aris. This would be followed by another few in the Griffon Kingdom, and some in Saddle Arabia, the Minotaur Kingdom, the Changeling Kingdom, and as a joke, we even built one on a plateau in the Dragon Lands, but to our surprise, it became poplar as creatures from all over Equus came to see it, and it was soon fleshed out into a fully-operational restaurant, though this one had to be specially made with everything inside and outside of it being fire-resistant. The Dragons were also warned that if they trashed this location, we wouldn't be building another, so in order to keep up the revenue they were receiving from it, they had to remain on their best behavior while inside. And to complete the chain, after figuring out the engineering required for it, we opened one more location under the sea in Seaquestria, with this one being underneath a bubble-dome. It too was a novelty, but it too helped to bring in tourists. And once each location started selling their own unique Food Avenue Express T-shirts which could only be bought at that location, sales skyrocketed even more.
What started as a childhood dream of mine had become a reality, and had risen to a level I hadn't even dreamed was possible. Almost every country on Equus had at least one Food Avenue Express restaurant of their own, making it the 3rd largest fast food chain on Equus, behind only McBarnyard's and Dairy King, and the largest fast food chain without a drive-thru. And within 10 years of the company coming into existence, I was in negotiations to bring Food Avenue Express back to America. By this point, I had grown very wealthy, but yet never forgot my roots, and where I'd come from. Deep down, I was still just a starry-eyed young kid with a dream to bring back a dead nostalgic restaurant. and I succeeded. I brought my dream to life, and shared its joy with so many creatures of Equus, made many new friends along the way, and even found love. It took a while, as well as a number of years of dating on and off, but I eventually married Kaylee, the old cashier at the Lee's Summit Target Cafe, and Donnie and Terry were co-Best Men at our wedding, as I didn't have the heart to only pick one of them. Kaylee and I would go on to raise a loving family, and I always encouraged my kids to follow their dreams.
"No matter what others say, you shouldn't give up on your dreams, as long as they're within reason. As Walt Disney once said, 'If you can dream it, you can do it'. My vast fast food empire all started with a dream, and with years of dedication, hard work, and patience, I brought it to life, and it grew to far beyond my expectations. If I could do this with my dream, what do you Kids think you could do with your dreams?"
All of them seemed eager to show me, and I was eager to find out. I also held out hope that at least one of them would have an idea to bring back something else nostalgic from the past, but I'd have to wait and see. But I had Kaylee, we had our family, and I'd brought my dream of bringing back the Food Avenue Express to life, and I couldn't be happier.
Author's Note
I really hope that you all enjoyed my very first "E" rated story. I've been a longtime fan of the Food Avenue Express/Target Cafe, and was very sad that almost all of them are gone now. I began to wonder if they'd ever come back, and that's what inspired this story. I hope that I was able to trigger a lot of nostalgia for you, as I was constantly having nostalgic flashbacks while writing this. In the meantime though, as always, comments, feedback, questions, as well as spreading the word about this story are always appreciated, and I'll see you all again soon!
ScarFox out for now!
