To avoid hibernating, Liu’s found creative ways to generate multiple streams of revenue, in part through hosting lemonade stands on weekends. This is an example of a leader we need today. “The elephant in the room right now is that all across the restaurant industry, you have all these cooks and chefs. Overall Rating. He said he had to completely change how he thought about business and go beyond adding to-go orders or delivery. "Something needs to change; we need to actually sit down and think about this thing and not just keep trying to fit a square peg in a round hole," Owens said. Home Order Cupcakes About Expand submenu. The restaurant normally staffs 15, but it’s making do now with four employees. Kevin Liu, owner of The Jasper and Carytown Cupcakes, said his neighboring shops must pivot to survive. The city said it recently started a $2 million Richmond Recover grant program to help support businesses. If you want to make anywhere close to the money that you used to make, you have to come up with new streams of revenue.”. Left to right, top to bottom: Carytown Cupcakes owner and The Jasper co-owner Kevin Liu; ZZQ co-owner Alex Graf; Poor Boys co-owner Clayton Navarre; L'Opossum chef-owner David Shannon; Lehja chef-owner Sunny Baweja; Brenner Pass and Metzger Bar & Butchery co-owner Brittanny Anderson; Derick Washington of LX Group; Richmond Restaurant Group co-owner Michelle Williams; … RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond City Council member Stephanie Lynch hosted a restaurant industry virtual town hall Wednesday afternoon, as she and other city leaders listened to concerns from restaurant owners. My Lemon Lovers cupcake was delicious. Garden Party, a vegan and vegetarian ghost kitchen restaurant, launched on the Southside in late June. A Carytown restaurant and bar owner is converting one of his two neighborhood establishments to a ghost kitchen model as the coronavirus downturn continues to loom. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (All 6 Cary Potter Flavors) $18.00. Carytown Cupcakes is a gourmet cupcake shop in Richmond, VA that bakes cupcakes using fresh, local ingredients daily from scratch. Payment method When I went there the server was super sweet and knowledgeable. Carytown Cupcakes, Richmond: See 127 unbiased reviews of Carytown Cupcakes, rated 4 of 5 on Tripadvisor and ranked #135 of 1,580 restaurants in Richmond. Upon graduation, he served with the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer, and picked up a degree in technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Liu is planning burger-, ramen-, pizza- and Mediterranean-focused concepts and hopes to partner with Chop Chop, a locally run food delivery service that delivers alcohol and charges lower fees than nationwide services. That’s just not going to happen. Quaint cafe with shabby-chic decor offering breakfast pastries, fancy cupcakes & wedding cakes. ctcc0wner, Owner at Carytown Cupcakes, responded to this review Responded February 20, 2015 Thank you so much for supporting our small business! (Courtesy Joey Wharton). The shop fulfilled call-ahead orders, and offered curbside pickup and free delivery from March to mid-June. Skip to content. What a guy! Carytown Cupcakes 3. Hours. Even if they’re getting their jobs back, they’re going to be probably underemployed,” Liu said. The cupcakes are genuinely really good and full sized. Welcome to Pearl's Bake Shoppe. Today's Flavors Baked Goods. julie. In a letter sent Dec. 7 to Congress, the association told lawmakers that restaurants “are under siege and in desperate need of financial assistance as tens of thousands of businesses are shuttering permanently or closing for the long term.”. Review. What do you get when you smash cupcakes into cocktails? About Story Community. About. A Carytown restaurant and bar owner is converting one of his two neighborhood establishments to a ghost kitchen model as the coronavirus downturn continues to loom. “There is no going back to before,” Liu said. Kevin Liu, co-owner of Richmond’s Carytown Cupcakes, The Jasper and The Tin Pan, was one of more than a dozen industry representatives to meet … Collapse submenu. After 3 hours, Tipsy Cupcakes was born. Delivery & Pickup Options - 332 reviews of Carytown Cupcakes "Carytown Cupcake treats are certainly worth checking out. I got 70 cupcakes in 5 different flavors, and a 6' round cake for my husband and I to cut. I especially appreciated the fact that she provided me with pricing for all the options but didn't try to push any of them on me. More Reviews. Meanwhile, some restaurant owners said a bigger concern lied within declining customers due to COVID restrictions and the meal tax within the city. Community. View Kevin Liu’s profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional community. Trey Owens, an owner of Soul Taco, sat in on the town hall and said he believed these are all concerns city and state leaders should have already been aware of since the pandemic began. Before the pandemic, Liu said making $1,000 on food on a slow night was about the breakeven point. “Each of these streams, I mean, we’re talking a couple hundred bucks a day. Kevin sounds like an impressive guy with a good perspective and plan. In a survey, the association found 87% of full-service restaurants reported an average of 36% drop in sales revenue. Carytown Cupcakes: Don't let the sweet taste fool you - See 127 traveler reviews, 22 candid photos, and great deals for Richmond, VA, at Tripadvisor. Liu said he expects to make around $700 in food sales per night and give at least 75 percent of that to the four chefs involved, which he hopes is enough to supplement their income once a week. We bake our cupcakes from … "The rate is so high, if they lowered it for just a little bit longer, while we're getting through this," Gerald Abernethy, co-owner of Hot for Pizza, said. Liu said the breads used in the food menu will be baked next door at Carytown Cupcakes by Jessye Valerie, including pretzel bread that will be served with nori butter. Although the Tin Pan and Carytown Cupcakes owner Kevin Liu declined to comment when Richmond BizSense asked him about a permit to expand the Carytown business into the Carey Burke Carpets space next door, the logical leap was that Liu was going to, well, make a bigger cupcake shop. He developed his cooking skills while serving in Afghanistan and launched his first restaurant, The Tin Pan, which is also a music venue, in 2015. At first, he looked to cut costs at his bar and bakery, and scrape by with money from the Paycheck Protection Program. Response from Brian B, Owner at The Carytown Food Tour in Richmond Responded Mar 13, 2018 R., so glad everyone enjoyed themselves, and I hope you continue to … I'm so glad that your daughter enjoyed our Red Velvet Cupcake! Sales dipped in March but were around 90 percent of the previous year’s sales in April. Jean-Jacques Bakery owners Jozef and Emmanuelle Bindas married in 2011. And that’s not a COVID restriction, that’s just like demand is not there yet. "Restaurants definitely feel like we are at the bottom of the totem pole as far as the customer to the ABC," Kevin Liu, owner of Jasper and Carytown … When it doesn't give us any marching orders as far as what we're faced with. Anthony Jimenez, with the ABC Richmond Enforcement, said one of the big changes was allowing delivery permits across the board for restaurants. (Courtesy Joey Wharton), “We are used to turning people away from reservations because we’re at capacity,” Liu said. Dawn was friendly and professional at the tasting and had a clear printout of all the options. Business people like this will lead us out of this dark age. James Faris is BizSense's summer 2020 reporter. “That’s what we’re hoping to get to.”. (all 6 available flavors: Sorting Hat, Butterbeer, Gold Snitch (VG), Detention with Umbridge (GF), Aunt Petunia's Pudding, Dumbledore's Favorite Sherbert Lemon (VG)). “The idea that we can just weather the storm until it passes and everything will be fine, no. But he said he realized this summer that it’s unrealistic to get back to normal anytime soon, given rising virus case counts. "You no longer need to get a permit from us, you can automatically deliver to your customers without going through the steps of getting an on-premise license or going through the process of getting a delivery permit," Jimenez said. Liu, 33, is a Rockville, Maryland, native who moved from China to the U.S. at age 4 and was admitted to the Naval Academy at 17. Pre-order a half dozen of our Cary Potter Cupcakes for pickup or delivery. Jozef Bindas worked at the bakery since its opening in 1983 and became its … About Story Community. Tipsy Cupcakes RVA’s alcohol-infused treats bring tastiness with a kick. Kevin Liu - Chief Cupcakes Officer - Carytown Cupcakes | LinkedIn. The sales fall off. Specialties: Carytown Cupcakes is a gourmet cupcake shop located in the boutique-shopping district of Carytown, in Richmond, Virginia. The cake is moist, but the real treat is the toppings/icing flavors. I’m looking forward to supporting him by ordering from here. In order to foster transparent, civil conversation, please include your full name when posting comments. It will serve food until 1:30 a.m. - See 803 traveler reviews, 75 candid photos, and great deals for Richmond, VA, at Tripadvisor. Five years later she was joined by another sister, Trang Bui, with both women still helming the kitchen to this day, turning out steaming bowls of pho and refreshing rice noodle bowls, aka bun. Adding shots to the lemonade is optional. I used Carytown Cupcakes for my wedding. Alongside her sister, Charmesha has been able to create brand awareness, a strong customer following and the newest accomplishment, moving to the Carytown area to become a full time entrepreneur. The Jasper will keep the remaining 25 percent of food revenue and money from alcohol sales. Unsurprisingly, that model has surged in popularity in recent months around the country, and Richmond is no exception. Phone: (804) 922-7335. Apparently, nothing. Photos. About Delivery Policies Weddings/Events Log in 3111 W Cary Street, Richmond VA 23221 804-355-2253 Carytown Cupcakes. The Jasper is named for Jasper Crouch, a bartender and caterer in Richmond in the 1800s. The new owner, Kevin Liu, is also the co-owner of the Tin Pan Restaurant and Listening Room near Regency Square Mall. He then bought Carytown Cupcakes in 2016 and opened The Jasper next door in January 2018. Carytown Cupcakes was a completely opposite experience. Inside The Jasper. Hes not moaning about his circumstances; he ‘s putting his head down and working for a solution. “The government is telling us to close and rehire at the same time,” says Kevin Liu, owner of the Tin Pan, Carytown Cupcakes and the Jasper. "Carytown Cupcakes bakes a minimum of 16 flavors per day, including 2 vegan and 2 gluten-free selection." Agreed, Bruce. Now, that’s a strong night, and $400 on food is the barrier to keeping the lights on and paying staff. One of the topics covered during the meeting was the changes to ABC laws and the rising trend of selling to-go alcohol. Liu said he’s paying rent for 5,000-square-foot locations while these days using just 1,000 square feet. Let’s keep our local places afloat as much as we can, © 2021 Richmond BizSense - All Rights Reserved, Update your browser to view this website correctly. Loading. Today's Flavors About Baked Goods Cupcakes Cakes Weddings Contact. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. We'll take the Lot! The first hour of the meeting was spent reviewing changes that are already in place in Virginia and locally, such as alcohol to go and more flexible ABC laws, before shifting to a brief input session from industry leaders including Jackie Bishop, owner of Fallout; Kevin Liu, owner of Carytown Cupcakes and co-owner of The Jasper; Trey Owens of Soul Taco; Gerald Abernethy of Hot for Pizza; … He plans to build upon the legacy of Carytown Cupcakes … He's a journalism major at JMU. Carytown Cupcakes is planning to open a location in Short Pump Town Center in mid- to late June. In his spare time, he wrote a book about cocktails and got connected with Mattias Hagglund, a restaurateur who’s now his business partner. At that point, you either shut down or hibernate.”. "We're struggling just as hard as everyone else," Jackie Bishop, owner of Fallout, said. Hagglund is the former owner of Heritage, which he sold last fall, while Leggett tended bar at The Roosevelt.Liu owns Carytown Cupcakes and The Tin Pan.. ⛈️Use Interactive Radar to track rain in Virginia. Now, we’re competing with every restaurant that’s within a delivery radius plus grocery stores.”. Carytown Cupcakes. Sure. The staff is friendly, and something must be going on - because most days they sell out. The Jasper seats 64 and will be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. "Where we have set aside $1.25 million for restaurants where we're going through the process now of making grant awards where we're prioritizing businesses who did not receive any grants through our cares act allocation, or the EID or PPE," Director of Economic Development, Leonard Sledge said. Add a photo View all photos. Chesterfield County EDA spends $13M to secure 2,000 acres near Moseley, CoStar buying downtown riverfront office building that bears its name, Developer changes location of planned business incubator at center of city dispute, City Council adopts Richmond 300 plan, with promise to amend it. Meanwhile, Carytown Cupcakes didn’t close during the pandemic and saw success as one of few bakeries that remained open, kitchen manager Meg Canal said. “You put out your delivery and to-go menus, and people are like, ‘Oh, cool, my favorite restaurant is coming back, let me order from them,’” Liu said. According to the National Restaurant Association, 10,000 restaurants nationwide closed within the last three months. "You are absolutely critical partners with and for us and you help make Richmond what it is," Lynch said. Weathering the storm for a year and a half? Kevin Liu, owner of The Jasper and Carytown Cupcakes, said his neighboring shops must pivot to survive. His solution is to create urgency for customers at The Jasper by making it into a ghost kitchen that features different pop-up food concepts every night. A ghost kitchen is a cooking facility designed solely for delivery orders without a dining area. Owner An Bui opened Mekong 25 years ago with his sister Truyen Tran in the kitchen. "Restaurants definitely feel like we are at the bottom of the totem pole as far as the customer to the ABC," Kevin Liu, owner of Jasper and Carytown Cupcakes, added. At Carytown Cupcakes, co-owner Diane North responds without hesitation that their most popular cupcake is red velvet, a flavor so old-fashioned Southern that it makes key lime look cutting edge. About. But if you take a couple hundred bucks, a couple hundred bucks, you know, you start approaching maybe a thousand,” Liu said. Carytown Cupcakes - 3111 W Cary St, Richmond, VA 23221 - Rated 4.1 based on 150 Reviews "Good selection. Owens just hopes the conversation can continue. Liu — who co-owns Carytown Cupcakes, The Tin Pan music venue in Henrico, and The Jasper cocktail bar — has been trying to help his fellow restaurant owners navigate the … … Weathering the storm for eight weeks? River City Food Tours: Making cupcakes at Carytown Cupcakes -- so fun! It just doesn’t make sense.”. “Now, it’s like we’re scraping to get 10 percent of capacity. That’s not what you do as a businessperson. "It's fruitless to us to keep referring back to the code of Virginia. Three and a half years ago, sisters Shay and Mesha Cousins quit their corporate jobs to create Tipsy Cupcakes RVA, a cupcake shop that specializes in booze infused confections.Located in Carytown, Tipsy Cupcakes RVA is a shop unlike any other. The Jasper will soon be turned into a ghost kitchen that features different pop-up food concepts every night. Mon - Thu: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm: Fri - Sat: 9:00 am - 11:00 pm: Sun: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm: Extra Phones. “They’re not going back to their 40-hour work weeks making the rates that they used to be making. Dawn from Carytown Cupcakes was a joy to work with. I think we definitely need to think outside the box or rather in this case think outside the code and figure out what we can actually do to help people," Owens said. Regular Hours. “But it loses the appeal, the draw, relatively quickly. Update my browser now. Struggling just as hard as everyone else, '' Jackie Bishop, owner of,... Minimum of 16 flavors per day, including 2 vegan and vegetarian ghost kitchen restaurant, launched the. Stores. ” 're struggling just as hard as everyone else, '' Lynch.! Va, at Tripadvisor Jasper will keep the remaining 25 percent of capacity Jasper will soon be into. I got 70 Cupcakes in 2016 and opened the Jasper will keep remaining. 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