Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Sorrell.
Hi Stephanie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Luv Crepes was born out of a love for excellent service, a passion for creating a place for people to thrive and a joy in eating amazing food from around the world. The opportunity to begin this unique venture started with what was a tea room in Golightly’s Antiques & Boutiques, a retail establishment that has been in NRH for over 40 years – the cool pink house on Davis Blvd!
I have traveled around the world and absolutely love meeting people, learning and eating! I’ve also spent over 25 years building out customer organizations in global companies where I’ve enjoyed the privilege of much growth, honing the skills of business development, profit management, leadership balanced with putting the customer experience first.
I chose to step out of the traditional corporate environment in 2023, and connect with my roots of hospitality to build a fun new concept with Luv Crepes Cafe. Having built the concept, partnering with chefs from around the world to design unique crepes, we continue to ensure we have seasonal favorites, amazing new additions and always have a broad variety of sweet and savory crepes. As we were raising our kids, we dabbled in crepe making and would have Saturday morning brunch fun with all the sweet toppings. I enjoyed my first crepe in Paris in 1996, while I was traveling abroad for college. I’ll never forget the Nutella and banana experience. I had 3 in 3 days because I fell in love with the simplicity and perfect warmth from the corner cart. My daughter followed in my footsteps and has always enjoyed them. As we have enjoyed living in Grapevine, shopping the streets and enjoying the vibe and food, I started building the concept of creating a creperie at a local corner spot. How fun to invest in our community! Grapevine did not have an opening at the time, but Janet Golightly, whom I had recently met and new what I had been preparing, called me when her tea room ladies had to leave for family reasons. She had a few options to invite in and was excited to create a unique change for NRH, where she’s had a thriving business. Being a part of the Golightly landscape has created a delightful partnership. Coffees, teas, free mimosas (we don’t have a liquor license) and on the go baked items support the shopping experience. And then we get to serve the crepes and cafe fare all day.
The previous tea room turned creperie and coffeehouse at the back of Golightly’s has become a favorite spot for fellowship – with a group of women from church, to old friends catching up, or a fun new spot where both shopping and ambiance can be enjoyed. All food is freshly prepared from quiche and chicken salad to daily soups. And, the crepes are made at the front for everyone to enjoy the art of the design.
We have a fabulous cozy place that always gives warm welcomes, fast service and consistent yummy bites and coffees. We also have a patio filled with roses and umbrella shade. And, our tea experience is an added bonus, as we honor the original design of the location with opportunities to create fine dining for private parties or a fun mother/daughter date.
We’ve been open for almost a year now and love to see the regulars, meet new people every day excited to try a crepe and ready to serve many more! We’ve been building our social media buzz and love what we do! We are truly a hidden gem and working hard to get the word out.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been fun the whole way, but definitely had some challenging months. Summer was slower than we thought it would be. And, given the previous tea room design, often our customers thinking our hours are much more abbreviated. We have been open 10-5 daily, mirroring the retail store, but building the recognition of an open spot after 2 has been challenging.
I’ve also self-funded this to date with passion and focus. When the days are slow and the week doesn’t pick up, it’s hard not to wonder how everything will work out to pay for the amazing employees and continue to ensure everything will continue to thrive.
We also appeal to many markets, so knowing the right way to appeal to the right audience has been the biggest challenge. And, of course, just not able to put up a large enough sign yet for clear view from Davis Blvd. Thus, we’ve relied heavily on social media and word of mouth.
We have excellent reviews and we have a lovely guest book that people sign daily, as they engage the comforts of the location. We having raving fans and have been growing a lot. However, we are still working to grow even more. Our dream would be to see a full house all day and support Golightly’s amazing retail place of home decor, seasonal finds and precious boutique clothes. What fun to shop while you wait with free coffee and free mimosas?
Being a hidden gem is delightfully charming, but needs to be exposed to attract the crowds. 🙂
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I spent my first 10+ years in hospitality, working in every role with restaurants, bars and catering. I love to serve and create great experience for people.
I spent the next 13 years working in behavioral health, thinking I might be adept at being a counselor. I received a degree in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Within that journey, while I did years of crisis counseling, I quickly moved into leadership and organizational management. My gifts are in creating order out of chaos, refining processes, building teams and ensuring every customer gets served with excellence. While I started as an Intake Specialist, I left as the VP of Operations.
Having grown up in Austin, it was then time to move our family to DFW. I attempted staying at home to take care of the kids, which I quickly learned was not for me. I was a better mother and wife when I had other things to focus on. My next career move was then (in DFW) in electronic distribution. I worked in 2 different global organizations who gave me an incredible opportunity to travel around the world – implementing new technologies, establishing continuous improvement systems, growing customer service teams and strengthening operational systems – all to ensure the employees were equipped with what they need while the customers are served with excellence.
I took the opportunity while my kids were in their last few years of school to be more present with them by leaving my corporate career and began to build out the vision of creating something within the community that they were raised in. With this change, I was able to be more available to them and had their support in design. 🙂 Lots of eating of crepes and finding all creperies in the area. There are only 2 real competitors by the way. 😉
Luv Crepes Cafe was originally Luv Bistro Creperie in business design…and will be one day….which extends into evening, has added cocktails and the same wonderful cozy vibe, with a bit more of a 40s feel. Having started it with tea room in stead positioned it in a new way, which speaks to other parts of me…my faith. My Christian devotion is key to my life, leadership and love for others and one I am open about and set forth within the Cafe. Through this, we get to create a light for others. We get to have a location for people to enjoy, be loved on, be served delightful food and feel at home. This makes my day every day. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to serve God in the work I do.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think probably the most surprising thing to myself and others would be that I am the one who often is the one making the crepes! I am not a chef. I love to host, to laugh, to lead and to organize and train. I guess becoming a creperie drove a new expert need-to-know in me, and while I initially learned it to engage in the experience, I actually quite enjoy making crepes each day. It’s a work of art to combine the unique flavors of each crepe, with just the right amount to create the lovely perfect bite.
Pricing:
- Crepes are $10-$16
- Coffees $4-$7
- Room Rental $75-$250
- Tea Experiences $20-$30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luvcrepescafe.com
- Instagram: @luvcrepescafe
- Facebook: Luv Crepes Cafe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-sorrell-142a7316/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/luv-crepes-caf%C3%A9-north-richland-hills?osq=Luv+Crepes+Cafe&dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2F
Image Credits
All images are taken by our staff.
