Life & Work with Lisa Boyle of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Boyle.

Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Chocolate Cafe started as a franchise of the South Bend Chocolate Company. We had gotten to know the owner while we lived in South Bend, Indiana from 1997-2000. My husband and I worked on a 2-hour morning TV show and Mark Tarner was a frequent guest of ours on our show. We moved back to Columbus in 2000 and ran into Mark at a candy show at the Ohio Expo Center, where he was selling South Bend Chocolate candy and he asked if we wanted to open a franchise in Columbus. We opened in 2007 on Northwest Boulevard, and we mostly served chocolates, ice cream, desserts and just a few sandwiches and soups. When the 2008 recession hit, we knew we may not make it so we negotiated out of our franchise contract and decided we needed to alter our focus to make it work. We grew our breakfast and lunch menu, started hosting parties and over the years, we have grown our catering all over the city. Today, we are vendors for Huntington Bank, Nationwide Children’s, Kemba Live, and several other large corporations in the city. We also do cakes and desserts for weddings, Our catering has exploded since the pandemic and we have also grown our online delivery presence. We also ship gifts and corporate packages across the country.

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?
The growth of the Cafe has had its challenges. In 2016, my sister, who opened the Cafe with me and was one of my key people, passed away as a result of a car accident. It was absolutely devastating. She left behind a two-year old son. Two months later, my father passed away suddenly. I believe he died from heartbreak because my sister was everything to him. I pressed on because I knew they both would want me to continue to grow the business that they both loved but it was so mentally taxing. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, I decided we would remain open. Staff members who did not feel comfortable working went home and I offered hazard pay to those who stayed with me and worked tirelessly during this trying time. I believe our commitment to staying open and doing deliveries fueled our growth. I learned so much during the pandemic… about customer service, growth, and staying focus during unprecedented times.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For the 18 years we have been in business, we are known for our chocolate treats, desserts, and our light brunch and lunch menu. I am most proud of our catering business. We started doing it years ago and it has exploded. We are now preferred vendors for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Huntington, and several other large companies in Central Ohio. I think what sets us apart is our fresh options and our dedication to customer service.

What makes you happy?
The Cafe makes me happy. I love waiting on people. I love our customers and I love my staff. I feel extremely fortunate to be doing what I’m doing and bringing happiness and love to those who come in. In this day and age, being a place that is positive for the community is everything to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chocolatecafecolumbus.com
• Instagram: @chocolatecafecolumbus
• Facebook: @chocolatecafecolumbus
• LinkedIn: @chocolatecafe
• Twitter: @chococafe
• Yelp: @chocolatecafe