Belting out tunes on a karaoke machine, drink in hand, is a great way to spend a Friday night. Even if you’re a kid.

At Chirp karaoke café in Pasadena, children can sing their favorite tunes on stage while parents relax and enjoy free Wi-Fi.

Jennifer Gunn, Chirp’s co-founder, said she wanted to create a space that would appeal to both children and their parents.

“There are areas where parents can relax and hang out,” she said, “and then the kids just get to go hog wild.”

Chirp opened in June in a 3,200-square-foot space on Colorado Boulevard. The café features a stage, a dress-up station with hats and costumes, games and a padded area for smaller children to play. For parents, Chirp sells coffee and snacks.

Prices are about $12 a child for Chirp’s open-mike sessions Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Chirp also has morning “Chirp-along” sessions for toddlers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The venue can be booked on evenings and weekends for birthday parties and events. Cost ranges from $400 for a basic party package to about $850 for a catered event.

Gunn said she thought of the idea for Chirp when she couldn’t find a kid-friendly karaoke café while helping to plan a child’s birthday party.

“There are karaoke places that will go to your house,” she said. “But there’s no place where kids can just go and be creative and sing on stage with a microphone and dress up.”

Gunn said she is looking to franchise the concept throughout Los Angeles, and that several people have already expressed interest.

But Steven Mednick, associate professor of clinical entrepreneurship at USC’s Marshall School of Business, said entrepreneurs should be careful before deciding to franchise shortly after opening a business.

“You have to prove the business is viable,” he said. “And then the second step would be, Is this something you can sell to others?’ And that’s a whole different ballgame.”

– Subrina Hudson