From Shutdown to a New Beginning

March 2020 changed everything.

Like every other restaurant, we were forced to shut down. At first, it was just a temporary closure. Then, we tried switching to takeout only. But being in downtown Lansing, our business relied heavily on foot traffic—state workers, office employees, and the daily buzz of commerce. Now, the streets were empty. Outside of a few incredibly loyal customers who stopped by out of the kindness of their hearts, sales had essentially dropped to zero.

So, we closed.

It wasn’t just one location we had to worry about—we had two. Our original restaurant in downtown Lansing sat idle, while our newly signed lease for a second location in East Lansing loomed in front of us, an unfinished space in need of a full buildout. We had planned for expansion. Instead, we were now sitting on uncertainty.

As the weeks stretched into months, we began to realize that the effects of the pandemic weren’t going to be temporary. The shutdown wasn’t just a pause—it was a reset. And we had no idea if or when downtown Lansing would ever return to the way it was. We had a tough decision to make.

Instead of trying to sustain both locations, we made the call to relocate our business. We would move For Crêpe Sakeout of downtown Lansing and into our yet-to-be-built East Lansing location. It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was the right one for the long term. The question now was when we’d actually be able to open that location.

At this point, the plan was to consolidate down to one location.

Until Mother’s Day weekend, 2020.

With restaurants shut down and in-person gatherings limited to close family, I was searching online for something special to send to my mom. That’s when I came across Brown Butter Crêperie & Café in Grand Rapids, a place I considered one of our competitors. They had launched a really creative initiative called Brunch Boxes—a build-your-own crêpe experience that could be delivered straight to your door.

I placed an order for my parents. On Mother’s Day, they received a carefully curated box filled with pre-made crêpe shells, small containers of fresh ingredients, and instructions on how to assemble their own crêpe creations at home. It was simple. It was fun. It was brilliant.

It was also something I wanted to replicate.

The only problem? We didn’t have a business to run.

For Crêpe Sake was closed. We had no kitchen, no operations, no way to test the idea. But after hearing my mom rave about the experience, I had another thought.

I looked at the receipt from my order and found an email address. On a whim, I reached out with a simple message:

“Hey, if you’re ever interested in selling your business, let me know.”

I had no idea what would come next.

-Mike