We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bridgette Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bridgette below.

Alright, Bridgette thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How has Covid changed your business model?

Central Cafe opened its doors one month before the Covid pandemic. We initially started with indoor seating, but after the governor close down all businesses to indoor seating we had to pivot . We installed a ToGo window so that we could still sell our food to the public. We also created our online website for customers to order online and be able to pick up at our to go window, which helped our sales tremendously. During that time we realized we needed a social media presence to get people out to our café. We started our Instagram account at that time Highlighting all the food ,smoothies and coffee drinks making fun videos so we could increase our followers. Another change ,we created an outdoor patio space which we marketed to our customers who wanted to enjoy events with friends and family while still feeling comfortable during Covid in a safe outdoor covered environment . We were able to rent out that space for baby showers, birthday parties and other small events which increased our revenue during this difficult period of time. I would say that you need to be flexible with any business idea that you have because you don’t know what kind of obstacles you might have to endure . Changing our business model, creating other avenues of income helped our business survive the Covid pandemic .

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started my working career in the airlines industry because I loved working with people and the customer service aspect. For the last 12 years was working in the food industry . I realized then I wanted to somehow combine both of these loves . I had the idea of creating a neighborhood Café. The challenge , was finding a space in my neighborhood . I did not want to commute anymore, and I wanted to make sure that I was serving my community, making a difference offering healthy drink and food choices .

Central cafe and Juice bar offers fresh pressed juices, smoothies ,coffee and pastries . We cater and offer an array of made to order sandwiches . We also have a delicious selection of vegan and vegetarian options , we prepare a daily made soup during the fall and winter season.

You can visit us anytime at our website www.centralcafeseattle.com and please follow us on Instagram at Central Cafe_Seattle

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

For any business, you’re reputation is key. We want our customers to know that we are consistent and that was pivotal during the Covid pandemic ,so many businesses were closing during that time.
Another piece to building your reputation is community and community service. That’s one thing I believe a successful business does is give back to your community. Our business participates in back to school drives , food drives and other community events . With the help of our social media, and our customers working together we successfully engage with each other and accomplish these goals.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I believe building a strong team starts with you. You have to know what your goals for your business are , and what type of experience that you want your customers to have every single time whether the owner is there or not, you want your employees to emulate the vibe , quality service that you have created and envisioned for your company . Communicate appreciation for hard work and dependability goes a long way. I also believe that my ideas aren’t always the only good ideas . I value a employee that has thought out a solution to a problem or solved an issue to make things easier , efficient and cost saving for the business.
My company also has team member appreciation events twice a year along with holiday events . I enjoy getting the team together and having fun outside of the work environment where we bond as a team .

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.Centralcafeseattle.com
• Instagram: Centralcafe_seattle
• Other: 2509 East Cherry ST. Seattle,Wa 98122