What we are
Play à La Mode is Suffolk County's premier destination for children’s parties, play, childcare, and enrichment in the historic Three Village area. This thoughtfully designed 3,200 sqft play café features an immersive play village with a climber, café, school, gym, salon, vet, supermarket, and workshop—all on padded flooring. The play area also includes a racetrack with ride-on cars and a gas pump, an ice cream truck, soft play, a campsite including features like fishing, a barbecue, a tent, and a fire pit, sensory play, and an area with puzzles, books, and blocks—each space carefully crafted to foster developmental growth and imaginative play, providing endless opportunities for creativity and exploration.
Play à La Mode offers a variety of experiences, including open play, half-day childcare, summer camp, classes, private playdates, public and private events, and monthly drop-off events like Parents’ Night Out. The space is thoughtfully divided into a welcoming lobby with a curated retail area featuring clothing, toys, and gifts, a café area and workspace containing a selection of prepackaged beverages and snacks, an engaging and safe play area, and a separate, spacious party room that transforms to match any theme or vision, complete with a lush hedge wall.
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Our Story
Rita Karapatakis, Founder & Owner
Rita has had an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong work ethic from a young age. After starting her career as a professional makeup artist in The Hamptons, Rita also began nannying, discovering a deeper passion for childcare. Her dream has always been to build a career that allows her to be present for her future children while doing what she truly loves.
In 2018, at the age of 21, Rita moved from Nassau County to the Three Village area and began nannying for a local family who quickly became family. While caring for the children, she searched for a safe, padded, high-quality place to take one of the kids to burn off energy, who was in a particularly reckless stage at the time. This search inspired the idea for Play à La Mode. Rita’s mission was to create a safe, high-quality, stylish, community-centered space where both parents and children could enjoy while offering support to more families. She wanted to foster kindness, positivity, and growth, making those values a core part of her business.
Creating a brick-and-mortar start-up is not for the faint of heart, but through relentless hard work, resilience, sacrifice, and faith, Play à La Mode opened its doors on May 1, 2023. Every detail of the space was carefully chosen to ensure that everything—from non-toxic materials to child-friendly designs—promotes children’s well-being.
After opening, Rita honored the children she had cared for by naming two play structures after them—Café Quinn & Wesley's Workshop—celebrating the special place they hold in her heart.