Sylvia Heisey opened Beets Cafe in 2009. Arguably, the most important part of a business is the name. Originally, Heisey’s idea for the café name had a slightly spiritual vibe: things like “Oasis” and “Heavenly Table”. They were rejected on the grounds that they wouldn’t be attractive to everyone. “It has to be something that appeals to anybody and everybody.” Heisey says she realized during the brainstorming process. Eventually, she drew inspiration from a restaurant she liked in New York City called “Citrus”. Heisey said she loved how simple the name was, and invoked some of the same simplicity by naming her cafe Beets. “It couldn’t be rutabaga. It couldn’t be cabbage.” she laughs. Beets Living Foods Cafe opened officially in August of 2009, a year after Heisey opened a checking account under that name. The reception to Beets was slow at first, but picked up within a year’s time. While the café was under construction, Heisey was teaching cooking classes at home. It is not surprising that her classes also served as a marketing avenue. A lot of her students were loyal customers before restaurant even opened.
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“There has been so much media about the health of this country that people are beginning to get more interested in what they’re putting into their body,” Heisey explains. “We get people all the time who are interested in healthy food because the doctor said ‘If it’s out of a box or a bag, don’t eat it.’”
“It is a stepby-step process: having the vision of the entire thing, then working backards to where you want to be.”