Camille's franchisee aims at healthier alternatives to fast food
The Daily Reporter Columbus, Ohio, March 2004
by Jason Lichtenberger

Chris Kafity, a former resident of Columbus who now lives in Huron, Ohio , is returning to the capital city with her husband Al to enter the restaurant industry.

The Kafity's intends to open two Camille's Sidewalk Café franchises this year and five more in the near future.

Camille's Sidewalk Café is a fast-casual restaurant, catering to breakfast, lunch and dinner crowds. The company was formed in 1996 by another husband and wife team, David and Camille Rutkauskas of Tulsa , OK .

According to Kafity, the company recently announced that the number of stores has grown 163 percent since January.

�We picked our company well. There were 76 restaurants when we bought into it last year, and now there are between 400 and 500 locations in the works.�

Plaza on Polaris Parkway . It will be the first Camille's in Ohio .

Kafity said construction for the second building, at 1305 W. Lane Ave. in Upper Arlington, will begin as soon as the first is up and running, possibly in August.

Kafity said she and her husband considered buying into many different restaurants, among them Panera Bread.

�We wanted a decidedly different concept. Something healthier than the burger and fries concepts you get at other fast food chains. We wanted something healthier, an alternative we could put or faith and passion into wholeheartedly.�

A series of low-carbohydrate wraps are among the menu items the new restaurants will boast. Other choices health-conscious consumers have include chicken salad and apple-walnut sandwiches as well as a number of soups and salads. The restaurant also offers several gourmet coffees along with smoothies made with real fruit.

While some of the chains do have liquor licenses, the Columbus stores won't open with alcohol on the menu, but Kafity said it's an option that will be considered at a later time.

Each Camille's facility is approximately 3,000 square feet and has about 25 employees.

One of the Polaris restaurant's workers has close ties to the Kafity's. Their son Eric, a recent college graduate, has decided to follow his parents' path by participating in the Columbus opening. He then plans to take Camille's to Cleveland .

Because Camille's is a franchise, Kafity said, there were problems she and her husband encountered that differ from those of an owner beginning a non-franchised restaurant.

Getting financing wasn't that difficult she said, �and the company has been great working with us.�

Kafity explained that she's a fairly tech-savvy person and finding the right accountant turned out to be an unusual problem. She was trying to find one that uses the latest bookkeeping technologies and procedures.

The Kafity's originally looked at Cleveland as the site of their first restaurant, but Chris said Columbus proved to be a better choice.
�Columbus was much more receptive than Cleveland . The market seems to be much hotter down there � the growth and recovery period is much quicker. Cleveland 's restaurant market is picking up, but it's not at the same level. Columbus is just booming,� she said.

As far as Columbus ' market is concerned, Kafity said the couple thought about beginning their own concept at first, and after weighing the positives and negatives, determined the venture would be too risky.

�We worked with the Small Business Administration for an original concept, but with the goals we had, we found out that buying into a franchise allowed us to be more aggressive because they have a higher success rate.

Unless you're partnering with a great gourmet chef, I wouldn't want to compete in Columbus ' market with a new concept.�

However, no matter how someone chooses to enter the industry � via another company or beginning their own from scratch � Kafity urges entrepreneurs to do their homework.

�Research concepts, locations and surrounding demographics. Some concepts will succeed in certain areas and some won't.�

She cited the SBA and the Ohio Restaurant Association as good resources to rely upon.

�It also helps to have considerable experience in the food industry,� Kafity added.

She and her husband's first jobs were working in restaurants, but since that time, both have worked I the medical profession. Chris has 35 years in health care management and now works as an administrator at her husband's practice. Along with her degree in nursing, Kafity graduated with a minor in business � knowledge and experience she has relied upon while getting Camille's off the ground.