New owners will launch Cafe Ollie in ex-Cafe Luwak space in Ypsilanti's Depot Town
Ypsilanti's newest additions to the business community, Danielle Scherwin and Mark Teachout, will open Cafe Ollie in the former Cafe Luwak on East Cross Street.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
Soon after Café Luwak owner Jim Karnopp lost a core group of reliable employees, he began noticing items coming up missing on any given day — three slabs of corned beef, $500 worth of coffee, money from the till.
Over a three-month period starting in September, Karnopp estimates he lost $20,000 in food and cash, an amount that spelled the end for his six-year-old Depot Town deli, ice cream and coffee shop. On Dec. 24, Café Luwak shut down for good.
“Forrest and I were almost in tears when we made the decision,” Karnopp said, referring to his 16-year-old son who helped him run the shop over its six years. “We loved this place, and we definitely loved being part of the community. Forrest grew up here, basically.”
But Depot Town won’t lose a café — two new owners have scheduled a grand opening for Café Ollie on Jan. 20.
Karnopp closed with the buyers, Mark Teachout, a trusted employee who worked at the restaurant for several weeks prior to closing, and Danielle Scherwin, a bar manager at the Corner Brewery, in mid-December.
The $50,000 sale came together quickly and includes much of the restaurant’s equipment. Jim and Forrest Karnopp have begun moving out their own possessions and Scherwin and Teachout are planning some remodeling, though the store’s frame and layout will largely remain intact.
“I was really happy how it worked out because I didn’t want to have to auction the equipment off, and I wanted to keep a business like this in Depot Town,” Karnopp said. “It would be a real loss to have this turn into an office space or something like that.”
Although Karnopp estimates losing roughly $250,000 over the Luwak’s lifespan, the restaurant gross’s roughly $300,000 annually, and he believes Teachout and Scherwin will be successful.
One of the issues Karnopp faced was running the café while working a day job at MTU Detroit Diesel in Detroit throughout most of his weekdays. That left the restaurant in managers’ and employees’ hands more often than not and required more help than would have been necessary had Karnopp been able to devote all his time to the café.
Karnopp said he “thinks about and misses” many of his employees from throughout the years, but Luwak cycled through more help over the last several months than in the previous five years combined.
“Without having someone here to manage them, it just fell apart,” Karnopp said.
Scherwin says she and Teachout are able to take a much more hands-on approach. At the outset, Café Ollie’s crew will consist of the couple and a close friend — down from a staff of 14 at Luwak.
Greater control means less waste, and Scherwin says she has seen Luwak’s books and agreed with Karnopp’s assessment that proper management will help turn a profit at the spot.
Jim and Forrest Karnopp have closed down Cafe Luwak.
Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com
“I think us being there full time will keep labor costs way, way down and also keep food costs down,” said Scherwin, who has experience owning a restaurant. “The key is you have to pour in your heart and soul.”
The interior will see a bit of a makeover. While the floor plan will mostly remain the same, Teachout and Scherwin are repainting, putting in a new floor behind the counter, buying new furniture and generally placing their own personal touch on the shop.
The menu will also see some revisions. As Teachout is vegan, roughly a third of the menu will offer vegan foods, one third will be vegetarian and the rest will cater to carnivores.
But the vegetarian and vegan menu will offer more “vegetarian comfort foods” than the typical cafe. For example, Café Ollie’s take on shepherd’s pie or mac and cheese will be meat and dairy-free, and the vegetarian sandwiches will see marinated tofus and other more complex ideas.
The menu will also feature some local products and vendors, including Faygo, Better Made and yet-to-be determined locally made breads and pickles. Cafe Ollie will also stock their ice cream cooler with Guernsey's or Calder Brother's and, down the road, sell Michigan beers and wines.
Scherwin said her sister is currently in Costa Rica testing different coffees that the store will import directly.
While Café Luwak never saw much evening traffic, Scherwin and Teachout are booking acoustic evening acts and planning to draw in more customers at night.
Scherwin says the idea of Cafe Ollie has received a positive response from people around town.
"Everyone seems to be very excited about having some changes and a new place to go, so I'm feeling pretty good well have a warm welcome from the community," she said.
Karnopp, who will serve out his term on the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority, said he and Forrest want to continue to be active in the community and are already looking toward future projects.
“We’ll be around in some way or shape,” he said. “We were talking the other day and Forrest said ‘What about a skateboard shop?”’ and I said ‘Hey, if you put together a business plan that wouldn’t be bad.’”
Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
Lenadams Dorris
Sun, Jan 30, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.
Karnopps father and son may be beloved, but they acted in a devastatingly irresponsible way when they sent out the "rest of the story" email to the greater Luwak public. In it they attribute their closing to the criminal activities of unnamed staff. Whatever one thinks of the literal possibility of losing $20,000 in three months due to employee theft at an ice cream shop, it is absolutely NOT OK to taint by association every employee that worked there in that period. Would YOU hire someone who was working at Luwak at the time it closed? Even if you had no actual evidence of criminal behavior of the employee-to-be? Everyone who worked there over the last year or so will now be followed by whispers and rumors until they have the sense to get out of the restaurant business altogether. NOT OK. If someone or someones stole, go ahead and accuse them. If someone colluded, accuse them, too. But to essentially accuse the entire staff of criminal activity is itself criminal. Losing money and going out of business hurts. It is, however, in the end (and even in the beginning) the fault of the owner/s, not the employees. Sorry, guys. And as for the new owners...well, I wish you luck. I find it extraordinary that you, like the new owners of Bombadill's, have gone to all the trouble of investing money in an existing (albeit troubled) food business only to remodel the space, gut the menu and trash years of goodwill by discarding the name. I do, however, wish you well.
Corby
Sat, Jan 29, 2011 : 3:38 a.m.
I've eaten at Cafe Ollie a couple of times now. They mentioned some planned drink additions once a piece of equipment is fixed, but it's already a great little place. The ambiance has changed a bit to reflect the new owners (paint, lighting, music), but the sandwiches are quite good, and the staff is exceptionally warm and on-the-ball. If you're contemplating a visit, I think they're ready. And I expect they'll get even better over time. Oh, and as an omnivore with a healthy appetite, I found the the turkey, in particular, to be exceptionally full roast. Really tasty turkey. Great coffee, too.
maria
Sat, Jan 22, 2011 : 7:55 p.m.
I'm going to miss Cafe Luwak and all our favorite staff members. My knitting group would meet there every Friday night. We'd planned to try out Cafe Ollie last night, but were sad to see it not yet open... Does anyone know if there's a place to find updates on the schedule?
CafeOllie
Thu, Jan 20, 2011 : 8:16 a.m.
Liz, As a matter of fact yes, we will be carrying selections from the river street bakery!
Liz MacGregor
Wed, Jan 19, 2011 : 7:38 p.m.
I'll miss Cafe Luwak but am looking forward to the new endeavor. Any chance Cafe Ollie will carry bread from the River Street Bakery?
Jim Karnopp
Thu, Jan 6, 2011 : 2:59 p.m.
I do take full blame for what happened. I worked another job during the week, and it was very difficult to keep a tight reign on my employees especially when I kept hiring worse and worse employees. I would like to mention that not all the employees were bad. Our cooking staff was our biggest weekness and where most of the theft and waste happened. We had a number of people in the front of the house that were very good and really wanted the business to succeed. I really felt bad about the way we closed because we didnt let anyone know for fear that the equipment might start walking out the back door. Thanks for all the well wishes, and Forrest and I will really miss being a part of Depot Town.
Dutchy734
Wed, Jan 5, 2011 : 11:47 p.m.
Seeing Forrest in the shop and the family amosphere always brought a smile to my face, that being said i'm ecxited to see some new energy brought to this location. As far as looking for pickles, keep it local. I vote for The Brinery..http://thebrinery.com/products/
Angela Barbash
Tue, Jan 4, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
I could see a skateboard shop working out quite well in Ypsi! And keep us grain and sugar free folks in mind too! It would be great to have options that expand beyond a salad...
schultz2005
Tue, Jan 4, 2011 : 10:10 a.m.
I just received email from Cafe Luwak about their closing and issues. I couldn't believe it and searched for this article. I hope those employees will not be hire by Cafe Ollie. Was the police involved?? yes, blame the owner of Cafe Luwak for not having a tight rein on his people. The economy will make people do stupid thing and here's a good example. Cafe Luwak will be missed. Haven't even tried the breakfast buffet yet!!
M.
Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 3:55 p.m.
Lovaduck - I'm taking a wild guess that you never set foot inside Luwak either. Being vegetarian-friendly does not exclude 'carnivores'; it is supposed to broaden the market. There is plenty of meat for you while allowing vegetarians to enjoy the place too. The article mentions that they're going to offer vegetarian/vegan dishes that aren't typically found at other places so maybe you shouldn't be so judgmental before even knowing what most of them are. I'm sure their heart is "in" the entire business and menu...that would be very silly to think that offering new veggie foods means they are going to somehow make the meat horrible.
veganj
Sat, Jan 1, 2011 : 10:46 a.m.
As long time vegans, my husband and I can't wait for your place to open. Thank you!!!! The less meat on the menu the better!
CycleGirl
Sat, Jan 1, 2011 : 9:09 a.m.
Welcome, I wish you well. Don't forget us Gluten Free friends somewhere on your menu.
lisasimpson
Sat, Jan 1, 2011 : 2:19 a.m.
This actually sounds like one hell of a menu. Bring it!!
CafeOllie
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 3:41 p.m.
Thank you all for the Support. To clarify: We will be offering the same amount of meat options that Cafe Luwak has for the last 6 years. We will be offering a larger amount of Veggie and Vegan options than before, but not eliminating any meat. Cafe Ollie is owned by one Vegetarian and one meat eater. So there will certainly be options for everyone. thanks
Patti Smith
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 2:37 p.m.
Completely bummed to hear about this, but wish the new owners luck! :waves to Danielle, from mug clubber #784: Is there a way to prosecute the offenders? That is just horrible....
Lisa Bashert
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 1:54 p.m.
Oh, how will Ypsi get along without Forrest, the Mayor of Depot Town??? See you around on your bike, Forrest. Luwak will be so greatly missed -- especially those great blog posts. I look forward to meeting everyone at Cafe Ollie.
Lovaduck
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 1:47 p.m.
Great for vegetarians and vegans, but as one who can't stand most vegetarian (and certainly vegan) food, I'd probably never set foot in the place; since their "heart" is clearly in the veg items! That's ok, there's enough carnivore places to go, and it may succeed as a niche restaurant, since it's close to the veg friendly university. Anywhere else in Ypsi would probably a disaster financially.
M.
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 12:02 p.m.
I definitely agree that it will be great to have a new place to go to (new food to try!). Especially if the "carnivore" section has a good roast beef.
AndyYpsilanti
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 10:44 a.m.
Good luck to Jim and Forrest, and I hope we see you both back with that skate shop soon... Even though I gave up being a vegetarian after a decade or so, I'm pretty excited to see a veggie/vegan cafe in town. The last attempt I remember was in the old Taco Bell years and years ago, and it seemed to suffer from lack of foot traffic. It's high time Ypsi added a place that caters more towards the veggie/vegan diet. Even though nearly all of our restaurants offer some options, a cafe focused more on that market will fill a void in the market.
Glen S.
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 9:30 a.m.
I'm shocked and sad to learn that Cafe Luwak is going out of business. Thanks to Jim and Forrest for all their hard work, and for being such great Ypsilanti and Depot Town boosters. Likewise, best of luck to the new Cafe Ollie, and welcome to the neighborhood!
Bones
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 9:09 a.m.
I wish the new owners better luck than Mr Karnopp had. And all small business in general. But to wait and think. Just supporting Depot Towns businesses is not good. It is just a small part of Ypsi. Ever since I was a kid. Depot Town has been promoted as a city in the city. Which took business from the immediate down town area. Combined that with better parking, which the city approved. Businesses downtown suffered.
wait.think
Fri, Dec 31, 2010 : 8:12 a.m.
To Cafe Luwak - I loved your sandwiches; sorry you ended on an unhappy note. To Cafe Ollie - Welcome! I'm looking forward to your sucess! I strongly support Depot Town businesses!