Former BBC Journalist Takes on Management of Intermission Cafe

Intermission, the theater-themed cafe located in the heart of Downtown Franklin, has welcomed Chris Woolf as manager.

Woolf, a Franklin resident, was a broadcast journalist with the BBC World Service for 34 years and was News Editor for public radio’s main international news show, “The World.” He served in the UK’s Territorial Army as an infantry soldier during the Cold War, is a writer and Chief Operating Officer of a professional voiceover company, The Voice Depot. Woolf recently released his new book “Bumbling Through the Hindu Kush: A Memoir of Fear and Kindness in Afghanistan.”

“Intermission is my happy place,” says Woolf. “I was first attracted by the coffee - the best in town. But now, working here makes me smile. Having retired from my career in international broadcast journalism in 2020 and published my memoir in 2021, I was looking for something new. I love seeing people's faces reacting to good food, delicious snacks, or the perfect coffee. It also feels like I'm giving back a little to the community that's been my home for the past few years, by helping out such a distinguished artistic and cultural center like FSPA.”

Woolf joined Intermission in March and became manager in June. Intermission owner Raye Lynn Mercer adds, “Chris brings a Cambridge education, worldly experiences, and a delightful personality to his oversight of our café. He’s a terrific supervisor of our staff and a great conversationalist for our patrons!”

 The café has been open at 36 Main Street (rear) since 2018. The Intermission menu includes Hills Coffee and Harney Teas, an extensive list of hot and cold beverages, breakfast sandwiches, bagels, Medway Muffin House muffins, B Goods baked items, a variety of sandwiches and salads, smoothies, snacks of all kinds, and healthy options.

The café’s deck, lawn, and patio `create a surprising little oasis' inside Franklin’s downtown. Summer hours for Intermission are Monday- Friday, 8:00 a.m -5:00 p.m. and Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The

The Café will open once again on Sundays after Labor Day.