On the first day of the new year, Cowboy Crepes officially opened its doors to the Laramie public. Although COVID-19 provided its fair share of obstacles, the restaurant has safely and effectively operated through teamwork and dedication.
“You have to protect employees, you have to protect your customers, and you have to protect yourself and the people you’re going home to,” owner of Cowboy Crepes, Jennifer Herman, said.
Herman began planning to open the restaurant in April of 2019.
“I felt like I was ready,” Herman said. “I had been looking for a while as to what I wanted to do with the next phase of my life.”
Before opening the restaurant, the location needed renovations and a new design. Herman said it was important to take into consideration the safety of both employees and customers when remodeling the building.
Herman’s son Mikael Meek, who is acting manager at Cowboy Crepes, devoted plenty of time to the reconstruction of the building. He said that the pandemic posed some challenges to this process.
“With COVID, a lot of your general contractors like electricians and plumbers were scheduled months out,” Meek said. “A lot of this project had to fall on just us.”
Meek said that the staff had to be kept small to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.
“Usually with these construction projects, you see a large number of guys. We had 3 to 6 at the most, and usually it was just three,” Meek said.
Herman said the increase of prices on products due to COVID-19 was also difficult to work with during the renovation period. Materials such as wood had a massive rise in cost and shipping times extended.
“When we first opened, there was such a demand for things like gloves,” Herman said. “We had a little bit higher of an upfront cost opening a business during COVID than we would have otherwise.”
Herman and Meek are both looking forward to what the future holds at Cowboy Crepes when the pandemic ends. Before COVID-19 and the construction of the new location, the business was more focused on catering.
“One of the big things that we miss is that this business is meant to cater,” Meek said. “We used to go to big events like baby showers and bridal showers, and we had so many cool opportunities. We got to meet so many people in a way that’s more personal.”
Herman also said she is eager to be able to cater again and interact with the community.
“On big events like Jubilee Days, we have a whole mobile unit,” Herman said. “We get to hang out and talk to a whole group of people that don’t know a lot about crepes. It’s exciting for us.”
Although COVID-19 related issues were trying at times, the experience of opening a business in a new location was rewarding for both Herman and Meek.
“I was the first one to see the space, and I was a big advocate for this,” Meek said. “Finally seeing it come to fruition was amazing. The amount that I learned throughout this process was insane.”
“It was great to see what the space was and what my son was able to create and how much the community loves it. I have no words for how unbelievably proud I am,” Herman said.
Herman said it’s important for anyone who wants to start a business during the pandemic to work with landlords and to not let fear get in the way.
“It’s doable,” Herman said. “You can be successful. Take it one day at a time, and just don’t be afraid.”
