Cafe Evoke in Oklahoma City

We have been in the process of trying to get Cafe Evoke Catering up and running on it's own to allow us time and space to begin creating the all new Cafe Evoke (the coffee house). This has not been going quite as quickly as planned and we are now feeling behind the ball on both operations. It is tough going, really. As you have been reading in our series on The History of Cafe Evoke over the past few days, we had our "ducks in a nice straight row" when it came to the business planning side of Cafe Evoke. We knew what to look for, we knew what we could "afford", and we knew where our money was going to come from at least at the beginning. Now, we are not so sure. Let me stop here a second to be clear - we are not worried about our ability to get back into business shape. I think the main thing was just to realize that we are not in a position anymore to pull the trigger on a location and getting things going that we were while in Bozeman, Montana. Here are the important things that we must get through before even beginning to step forward: 1. We have to get to know Oklahoma City - We have been doing this since the day we got here and it is something that will not stop. We are meeting as many people as possible, getting to know local businesses, community events and people that call this area home. This also means getting to know the area that we want to call home to Cafe Evoke. We need and want to learn about what makes these areas thrive, what people in the area are looking for and what we can do to make the area an even better place to be. 2. Where will our financing come from? - This is always a question we have to answer but it is even more different now than it was 3 years ago. Before, we had our own money to put down towards getting Cafe Evoke up and going. We had a plan for getting the rest so it was not a huge deal when the first two banks said no. Many things have changed since then however as we decided to open Cafe Evoke Catering - using the money we had to put against Cafe Evoke. There are many great places to start when trying to answer this questions about where the money will come from. Now, we really need to get started in putting a plan together to gather the funds that we will need to get our dream opened. 3. Who is Cafe Evoke? - Yes, we are still answering this one. Businesses seem to make their own name for themselves. We have to let Cafe Evoke be what Cafe Evoke is. What do we mean here? Menu Design Space Layout Equipment Choices Staffing Needs Hours etc. There are so many things that will come together once the menu is finalized. We have to really have a handle on what Cafe Evoke will be before we can even begin to put things together on a space. Once the menu is in place we can begin to understand what equipment we will need, what type of space will work, what we can afford to pay for the space and so on. Really, all this to say that we have a lot of foundation work to get done pronto. We did look at a space today that we think could be a great place to call home but the realization that we are not in a liquid position to act on it yet is frustrating and whiplashing. Work needs to be done and that is our goal for now. More on the History of Cafe Evoke tomorrow. ...be bold