Staff at Arise look forward to holiday season

XENIA — A wise person once said: “You don’t build a business, you build people, then people build the business.”

And while this is easier said than done, things tend to work out a lot smoother when one has surrendered one’s life and will to a power much greater than oneself.

Growth has been one of the goals since day one since Arise Café opened this past March at Emerge Recovery & Trade Initiative. Working in alignment with the vision of Emerge, the café has seen much success. Arise is one of the latest amenities on campus at Emerge. It is privately owned by Emerge founders Chris Adams and Kip Morris and has been open to the public for seven months.

During that time, its managers said they’re pleased with the support they’ve received from the community. They also believe the future is very bright for the new local business.

“We were super busy in the beginning, but that was mainly people in the building,” said Shayne Shaffer, who manages the restaurant on site at Emerge with her husband, Greg, who is the chef of the cafe “We are getting new customers every day from outside campus who have never been here before. Word of mouth is spreading that the food is great, and people love the atmosphere.”

Shaffer said all this was somewhat expected. What was not expected was the following they’re getting online.

“We’re getting more and more traction on social media,” she said. “Our Facebook page has a large following, and we are getting more page likes and followsThat’s usually a much slower process. Customer feedback has been positive and people say the food is good and the portions are large.  The biggest drawback for the customer has been finding our physical location.” 

With new signage in place, this hurdle has been overcome. Cafe patrons can drive to the back of the Emerge campus with ample parking and easy access to the cafe.

Shaffer said the catering and meal prep programs have been a growing success and they are happy with how things have gotten started.

“We are currently taking catering orders through the holidays and next year as well,” she said. “It is going well so far. I expect it to continue to grow.”

Additionally, they are hiring and training individuals from the Emerge men’s recovery housing program, which has filled their staffing needs while providing job skills to those in recovery.

“We are blessed to be able to pour into the lives of men and women who are working through their own recovery process,” she said “Each one of our employees is in a different place on their road to rebuilding their lives and we try to meet them where they are to help them along their journey.”

When asked what it has been like working with her husband, Chef Greg Shaffer, Shayne laughed.

“Most days it’s great,” she said. “You have to figure; we live and work together nonstop. It really is a blessing.”

Previously, the couple worked together for three years at One Bistro.

“We feel like we are home now and where we belong.” Shaffer said.

Because of this and because of the continued interest and growth at Emerge, the Shaffers said they both believe the future is very bright.  “More and more people are finding out about us and the more that happens, the more it’s just going to grow! She said.

To learn more about Arise Cafe, visit thearisecafe.com