The Deal, the Scramble and the Second Beginning

“Yes, actually just prior to the pandemic we met with a business broker about selling the business.”

That was the one-line response to my email. I had reached out to Brown Butter Crêperie & Café on a whim, after ordering a Mother’s Day Brunch Box and being blown away by the creativity of the experience. I didn’t expect much—maybe a quick conversation.

Instead, a few back-and-forth emails and some quick diligence later, the business was ours.

At that point, Brown Butter was shuttered, closed due to the ongoing pandemic. But we saw the potential—just like we had with For Crêpe Sake—and we moved fast. In the last week of June 2020, we closed on the business and scrambled to reopen it under our ownership.

By July, Brown Butter was back open. We kept the experience largely the same but rolled out a streamlined menu so we could operate efficiently under pandemic conditions. Like every other restaurant, we navigated the rollercoaster: limited capacity, outdoor-only service, sudden shutdowns and pivot after pivot.

In November 2020, when another temporary shutdown hit, I found myself working into the early hours of the morning, building a brand-new website with automated carryout and delivery ordering. We were doing whatever it took to keep things moving forward. It was stressful. It was energizing. It was one of those seasons where you just keep your head down and find a way.

All the while, we were also working on building out the new location for For Crêpe Sake. After relocating the business from downtown Lansing to the heart of East Lansing, the opening date remained a moving target. But finally, in March of 2021, the new For Crêpe Sake opened its doors—and the response blew us away.

Sales at the new location consistently doubled those of the original downtown Lansing spot. But even more than that, the quality of the experience had evolved. We brought everything we learned from Brown Butter to East Lansing—waffles, menu innovation, better systems and a stronger sense of hospitality. We weren’t just opening a second restaurant—we were building a better version of our first one.

So that’s the origin of our two crêperies.

Over the next few years, we continued to iterate—on the menu, the experience, and the way we operated. And somewhere along the way, during the many drives back and forth to Grand Rapids to visit our Brown Butter team, we kept finding ourselves drawn to the little shop next door.

A place called The Local Epicurean.

We got to know the owner well—he was also our landlord for Brown Butter—and Gina fell in love with the business.

But that part of the story deserves its own post.

-Mike and Gina