Oh hey June… where did you come from?!
Hard to believe we are almost half way through the year already but you know time flies when you are having FUN… and we’ve been up to some big stuff since I last dropped you a note.
We got to meet so many awesome folks at the Vista Strawberry Festival over Memorial Day weekend… and we even had some cool cat visitors check out our booth!
But let me back up a few weeks. The month of May required us to give some extreme focus to the coffee shop portion of our business so that we could get our plans in front of the health department as quickly as possible. I had no illusions that building a coffee shop would be easy, but holy wow did I underestimate the level of detail that goes into submitting a food service design plan for review.
First there is the basic equipment – coffee been grinders, espresso machine, ice machine, refrigerators, etc. Then there are things like food prep carts with garnishing compartments, MORE refrigerators, multiple freezers, nitro tanks for the cold brew and kombucha, Turbo Chef ovens, and high temp dishwashers. THEN there are water lines, drainage lines, power lines, grease traps, triple wash sinks, and finishes the health department likes (FRP) and finishes they don’t like (anything not white lol). It’s sort of like if you were to go shopping for a new car having never driven one before.
And let’s not forget the fact that there will be cuddly cats in the room next door, so you have to account for not just separated space but separated wash sinks, separated mop sinks, separated trash receptacles and separated entry ways (one for the cats and one for the people).
Thankfully we have a great team at San Diego Food Service Design Group helping us out, and they have over 70 collective years experience in the commercial food service industry here in San Diego and across the country. So our plan went to the San Diego Health Department for plan check today, and we’ve told all our own cats to cross their toe beans that we’ve accounted for everything the health department will require of us!
Also happening over the last month, we’ve been working with our construction partner Jacor Construction to finalize the buildout of both the coffee cafe and the cat lounge. What material finishes will be used for the floors, counter tops, cabinetry, restrooms, storage spaces, how big will the windows be, what height is the bar counter, how much seating do we need and where will we get all our furniture… it’s like building a house! Which IS EXACTLY what we are building… and that brings me to a great Jim Rohn quote “whatever good things we build end up building us”.
[ctt template=”8″ link=”haU0x” via=”yes” ]”Whatever good things we build end up building us….” ~Jim Rohn[/ctt]
Cat & Craft is a home for the adoptable cats residing in our care while they wait for their forever family. But the space is intended to be a home for our community too. Maybe you can recall a time that you went to visit your friends house, and they offered you a cup of coffee or tea and then the two of you had this great connection and conversation… that is exactly how we want our space to feel when you come visit us. I can’t wait to watch connections happen as strangers become friends, and animals who were once cast aside begin to experience trust, love and comfort. This is what we are really building, and this is what ultimately builds us all.
With Love and Light – Caroline
P.S. Have a great idea about activities, menu items or anything else? Send us a DM on Instagram