Meet Allison Jannach of Babe’s Tea Room

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Jannach. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Babe’s is a modern and bright tea party destination also providing an elevated café experience. Join us for afternoon tea, bubbly brunches, lunches, and happy hour. Beyond our afternoon tea service, our menu includes sandwiches, salads, homemade pastry, over 75 loose leaf teas, a variety of special-TEA drinks, coffee, vino & bubbles.

With an emphasis on great vibes, a tasty menu, and a super chic atmosphere, our tea room concept is a departure from the mad hatter, miss-matched tea cups concept. Babe’s aesthetic is clean, colorful and very Instagram friendly. We also just installed a massive exterior silk floral display that is to die for… thanks @laleflorals !

Even more, we are Denver’s premier private par-tea hosts. With the option to rent our full interior space we are perfect for bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, book clubs and corporate events.

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?
Our first location had been a tea room for 15 years before transitioning to Babe’s. A beloved spot on Platte Street that was in need of a refresh. Tea room ownership transitioned in January of 2020 with a rebrand and remodel on schedule for March. No more than two weeks into the remodel when all of Denver’s restaurants we forced closed due to the pandemic. Looking on the bright side, it was the best possible timing to have a scheduled closure. But the challenge was in the extreme unknown of when and in what capacity we would be able to reopen.

We reopened in late April with a “Takeaway Tea Party” option that included all of the goodies that would be included with the afternoon tea experience in house, plus a to-go party tier to set up your tea party at home. The concept took a few weeks to catch on but we had a line out the door on Mother’s Day which provided the confidence and motivation to continue to pursue the vision. That day was heartwarming, we are forever grateful to our patrons. From there, the pandemic forced a slow and steady build with each stage of restrictions and reopening for restaurants. 25% capacity to 50% then back down and back up again. Over a year has passed and the effects are clearly still not over.

Although the pandemic brought many, many challenges, we hope we learned, and are still learning, the lessons those challenges had to offer. Plus, we had support from a community that loved having a little tea room in Downtown Denver in more ways than we could ever express our appreciation for.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We hope our patrons view their experience in our tea room as something to look forward to. Something special. We view our tea room as a place to connect, get comfortable, celebrate and simply enjoy yourself. Celebrate big or just because. Meet a dear friend you haven’t seen recently, we love hosting a first date, or celebrating something as momentous as a wedding, baby, or birthday! We also have plenty of weekday walk-ins that grab a quick cuppa tea, sandwich and pastry to-go as they catch up on e-mails (we have free Wifi – obviously).

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think COVID was a catalyst for some big shifts in the restaurant industry – as well as multiple other industries. Making delivery, takeout and online ordering affordable and convenient for both customers and restaurants was a big thing. There is still a long way to go but there were lots of little improvements from multiple parties.

For example: 1. Caps on the delivery fees charged to restaurants by third-party providers implemented by local governments and 2. POS software updates to launch easy-to-use online ordering platforms.

While these are improvements to help out small businesses, you can’t deny the massive food/grocery/recipe home delivery trend. It is here in a huge way!

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@babestearoom.com
• Website: https://babestearoom.com/
• Instagram: @babestearoom

Image Credits
Amarie Lael Design – www.amarielael.com