Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Ritenour
Hi Mary, 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?
My career in the restaurant industry began 36 years ago at the age of 15- I was a server at a wedding/convention venue in Duluth, MN. I moved to the Minneapolis area at age 19 working as a server and bartender at the Ground Round, The Cabooze, and Doolittles. In 1999 I opened Champps Eden Prairie as a bartender and remained there for 13 years. I have always loved the fast-paced environment, having fun and being social, and making customers’ experience the best it can be- the money wasn’t so bad either 🙂 Perhaps the best part of working in restaurants/bars was the friendships made with all the amazing people I had the pleasure of working with over the years. I still have close friends that I worked with 20 years ago, and I am still married to Jarrett, my husband of 22 years whom I met at Champps!
Side note: In 2003 I graduated from the Minneapolis School of Massage and Bodywork-I was a practicing massage therapist for 20 years, but always kept working part time in restaurants because I felt I just belonged in that business.
In 2017 I got a call from my sister letting me know one of her favorite coffee shops down the street from her house was closing. The original owner didn’t want to run it any longer, and she had made it clear to customers that the doors would be closing for good at the end of the year. My husband and I had talked about someday owning our own business, so after speaking with him we decided this would be a great place to start. In January of 2018 I took ownership of West Side Perk Coffee Shop in Bloomington! Because the original owner had already told everyone she was going out of business, it was truly an uphill battle for me to build back the customer base. We all worked hard to lower our cost of goods and labor dollars, become more efficient and provide some new and delicious menu items. We literally put boots to the ground handing out flyers and food and coffee samples to local business and apartment buildings, amped up our social media and focused on fantastic customer service and building regulars by forming relationships with our customers. Seven years later we are as busy as we have ever been. We have held fundraisers and donated gift cards, gift baskets, money and time to so many local organizations- Oasis Center, VEAP, Warrior Dog Rescue and countless sports/organizations with Bloomington Schools. This will be our third year as a vendor at Bloomington Pride. I am proud of what West Side Perk has become and beyond proud of the amazing staff I have there supporting me- I couldn’t have done it without them. We are so excited to see where we go from here!
Two years ago, Jarrett and I started thinking seriously about opening another location, but this time we wanted to do a full-service restaurant/bar serving fresh, local, homemade food. We have always been lovers of all things breakfast, and knew we wanted our restaurant to focus on that. We spent months writing our business plan, crunching numbers and hiring contractors, designers, etc. We connected with a realtor and were able to secure the space on the corner of France and West Old Shakopee. We dug thru old recipes and ideas we had jotted down over the years and came up with our “first draft” of the menu. Our To Do List was endless, but with help and support from our team, we began the build out of Perk Up Kitchen. During the 5 months of construction, we hired our incredible Chef, Kayla Plumley, and she began the process of finalizing the menu, getting the kitchen stocked and set up and creating all of the delicious menu items we serve. Staff interviews/hiring, setting up utilities, linen service, music, internet, grease service, licensing, inspections- plus about a million other things that go into starting a restaurant from the ground up. We are truly a small family business. Our daughter, Taylor, is in marketing so she created our logo, menu design, signage, etc., and set up social media accounts. Our son, Aydan, is a commercial HVAC-R technician, his help in repair and maintenance of our equipment is invaluable. After all the hurdles we finally opened our doors for business on 2/14/24 and have been going strong ever since!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a twisting, rocky road full of potholes, lol! The City of Bloomington is one of the strictest in the state with their ordinances and regulations. The permitting process took longer than expected, and because of some of the requirements by the city, we ended up spending quite a bit more than we anticipated. Everything we did required research and weeding out what we really needed, and what we didn’t. Linen service, uniforms, POS system, food vendors, music system, liquor license, bar equipment, furniture, lighting, signage- nothing came easy. We are so grateful to have had a team of competent contractors, designer, architect, kitchen equipment experts, accountants, bankers, etc. These are the people that kept us sane, reassured us, worked hard for us and came through for us to pull it all together and create the beautiful space we have today. Another struggle would be all the sacrifices we made for this restaurant that we love, and finding a balance with our lives and families during this process. The restaurant has been all-consuming for the last year, and we haven’t had as much free and family time as we would like. We are thankful for the help and understanding of our families and friends who have supported us on this crazy journey. We are slowly getting our schedules adjusted and figuring out our new normal.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Perk Up Kitchen began from a love of all things breakfast! It was important to us to serve high-quality, homemade food- offering some classic breakfast items as well as some fun and unique plates that you can’t find at other spots. We were lucky enough to acquire Executive Chef Kayla Plumley- she comes with a long list of accolades and has seen success in the industry. She is talented and creative and constantly blows our minds with the menu items she creates! Some things we are most proud of and what sets us apart from others… we are a small, family-owned business. We source our ingredients locally when possible. Our eggs are farm-fresh, ham and some produce from Hidden Stream Farms in Elgin, MN, some produce from Nine Mile Urban Farm in Bloomington, Hamel Maple Syrup (Hamel, MN), and our coffee is roasted locally at True Stone Coffee Roasters in St. Paul just a couple days before delivery. 90% of our menu is scratch made in small batches- every batter, dressing, sauce, gravy, meatballs, etc., and of course all of our pastries (including our famous cinnamon rolls) are created and baked fresh daily. The “show stopper” item is definitely our Breakfast Charcuterie Board- an amazing sampling of many items- mini waffles, pigs in a blanket, cheeses, meats, deviled eggs, fruit, compotes, spreads, syrups, pastries, yogurt, granola…the list goes on! Our pastry chefs are always coming up with new and fun items, so there’s always something different on the boards. It’s so fun to see our customers eyes light up and seeing them take photos and posting makes us so happy! We are not serving the “same frozen bag of whatever” that a lot of places do, we pride ourselves on fresh, homemade food made with thoughtful intention and love! We have a full bar and a fun cocktail menu. Of course we offer a fantastic bloody Mary (with spicy, candied bacon), we have a fun mimosa flight (OJ, pineapple, guava and blood orange), a cold brew old fashioned, an espresso martini and lots of other craft cocktails. We also have a great selection of wines and local beers. We make a daily effort to focus on fantastic customer service from the moment you walk in the door and are greeted by our host staff. We set a standard with our servers and strive for attentive and efficient service. Our serving staff are experienced and fun and want to make your entire experience at Perk Up Kitchen one to remember.
Along with our creative and delicious menu, we offer many other services. We now have a Happy Hour Monday- Friday starting at 2:00! Specials on all wine, beer, cocktails and appetizers (including meatballs w/baked ricotta, spinach and artichoke dip, selection of sliders, beef tips with crispy onions and pizzas made on our homemade garlic focaccia!)
We are happy to cater any event and Chef Kayla will meet with customers to customize a menu based off their needs and budget. All menu items are available, or she can work with you to come up with different items that fit the vibe of your event. All of our bakery items are available for bulk ordering with a 7-day advance notice, and again, we can customize the flavor selections.
Perk Up Kitchen is available for rental and private parties after hours! Corporate events, wedding or baby showers, reunions- whatever the event may be we can make it memorable!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
My husband and I have a combined 63 years in the restaurant industry! Between the 2 of us we have worked nearly every position- host, server, bartender, expo, cook, general manager, regional director, VP, COO. We often cook and experiment together at home and have been “stashing away” recipes and ideas over the last 20 years. I’ve been a vegetarian for 28 years, my husband eats literally everything, so it’s fun for us to take dishes with animal protein and try to create an equally delicious vegetarian version. The dream of having our own restaurant has been a long time in the making, and we put everything we had (mentally, physically, financially and spiritually) into Perk Up Kitchen- finally taking the exciting yet terrifying leap into full-service restaurant ownership.
Another fun fact: the photos you see on the walls of Perk Up Kitchen are all my and my husbands family! For us, family time is synonymous with a good meal, and we like having our family with us in spirit at the restaurant. Our meatballs and marinara recipes come from my Italian great-grandmother. These recipes came with her from Italy and have been passed down to each generation. Before we opened the doors for business, my 82 year old father came to make the first batch of meatballs and sauce. That will be a memory that I will always cherish!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.perkupkitchen.com/
- Instagram: perkupkitchen
- Facebook: perkupkitchen
