As another school year heads into its final quarter, the Royal Purple likes to look back to see what everyone likes most about this terrific town. With approximately 500 votes our results highlight the many amazing businesses, events and campus locations and more. Take a look at this year’s Best of Whitewater results in the photo gallery of first, second and third place winners.

Gallery • 41 Photos

As the new school year went on, many new businesses and locations opened up to the public. These businesses ranged from convenience stores to small café businesses. As well as new businesses, new faces showed up to get a new look at what Whitewater has to offer.

One of the biggest winners in the Best of Whitewater poll was The SweetSpot Café & Bakehouse with 290 votes, or 65.9% of votes, in the “Best Bakery / Dessert” category. The SweetSpot Café & Bakery have two locations in Whitewater, one by Cravath Lake and the other over by St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. The café over by Cravath Lake offers services for coffee and refreshing drinks, muffins and cookies, and a place to sit and relax. The bakery over by St. Patrick’s Catholic Church offers services for baking cakes for special occasions and other baked goods.

Another winner was in the “Best Greek-Sponsored Event,” which goes to Lambda Chi Alpha’s Food Drive with 55 votes, or 12.5% of the votes. Every semester, the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha and sisters of other sororities go out and collect non-perishable items for local food pantries. They go around Whitewater, Milton and Jefferson collecting upwards of 2,000 pounds of items. Their philanthropy that this goes towards is Feeding America, which is a nonprofit organization that helps families in need all around the United States.

“Lambda Chi Alpha’s food drive means a lot to the city of Whitewater. Just ask the volunteers at the food pantry in town,” said Lambda Chi Alpha President Conner Young. “It is extremely awesome to see the local communities come together and provide for those who are in need. Not only is it great for the community, but it is also great for the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha, as food drive us a time where the brothers can bond while serving our great community.”

One last winner goes to Jessica’s Family Restaurant in the “Best Breakfast or Brunch” category with 236 votes, or 53.6% of the votes. Jessica’s Family Restaurant is a breakfast and brunch place in downtown Whitewater. There, they serve a variety of breakfast items from skillets to omelets. They also serve burgers, sandwiches and other lunch-related items. 

‘We feel like the community supports us and we feel great,” said owner Ilmi Shabani. “We try our best to support the community. We’ve been here 32 years, and we’ve always supported the community, so it is nice seeing the support back.”

From university study spots and sporting events, to dining locations and stores and everything else, Whitewater is an amazing place to be. There are so many small businesses one can support, and so many fun places to visit. Make sure to go out and visit all the places mentioned in our 7th annual Best of Whitewater. The Royal Purple would like to thank you all for voting in this year’s poll. Congratulations on your success!