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Meet Lorianne Hoest of Eighth & Fork in Denver Metro Area

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorianne Hoest.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lorianne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Both my husband and I come from food industry backgrounds, I’m a professionally trained baker and my husband was raised in the restaurant industry. Aside from raising our two young kiddos, our love for delicious food is one of our passions we share together.

We both felt that there were countless others like us that loved eating out, especially here in our Mile High City, where the restaurant scene has exploded in the recent years. The only downfall to this was the ever-increasing cost of eating out. We knew if we could somehow tap into helping both restaurants and patrons, there was a business there. Restaurants are always looking to get more exposure and patrons are always looking to save a buck. We just needed to figure out what that missing piece to the puzzle was.

To make our lives more challenging, we knew we wanted a third angle to our business. We both felt strongly that whatever we started, it would have some charitable aspect to it. Having a positive impact on our local community was a must. A business that could have a direct impact on where we live was essential!

And there it was, Eighth & Fork was born after merging our love of food, saving money and giving back. We believe that Eighth & Fork has endless possibilities to not only help local businesses but to help patrons save money and support those in need. Who knows where the road will lead us next!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
A smooth road? No way! Just like anything else in life, you’re going to run into some bumps. It’s how we handle these challenges and embrace them that make us smarter, stronger. These ‘bumps’ always end up being the greatest learning experiences, we embrace them with open arms!

As with any new business, learning the ropes is a labor-intensive task. We went down numerous rabbit holes of trying to figure out how to get our name out to the masses, how to convince restaurants that this will be a benefit to them, among other difficulties. A lot of times we’ve run into people saying that this card is “too good to be true”, and that we were a fake business. But we insist we’re very much a real business, trying to help out as many people as we can along the way!

Of course, the COVID pandemic presented itself as an entirely different animal. Sadly, we witnessed a lot of good businesses shutting their doors and it has taken a lot of determination and sheer luck at times not to become another statistic.

We believe people see Eighth & Fork as a breath of fresh air through this craziness; you can still eat out (or take-out!), support local eateries, save some money and really help someone who needs it. It’s a win-win-win. Probably the best kind of news that we’ve all heard in a long time!

Through it all, we’ve learned that being flexible is probably the most important attribute you can have. That, and having a positive attitude!

Please tell us about Eighth & Fork.
Simply put, Eighth & Fork is a membership dining club. Members sign up with us for a month or a year at a time and they receive this sleek, savvy, sophisticated metal membership card. With this card, you get a 20% discount at eight different food destinations every month. It amounts to 96 eateries every year! We only feature the best and most popular spots in the Denver Metro area. Our favorite part about this is that every time our members use their card, we make a donation to a local charity. Currently, we’re working with the Denver Rescue Mission.

Using our card is simple and discrete, there are no catches to it. You just simply present the card at the time of payment with your credit card and voila, 20% off! The savings add up so quickly and our price point makes it so that your card is paying for itself within the first 3-5 uses!

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Perhaps we could’ve altered some things, made some different decisions, etc. But without the process, we wouldn’t be where we are now, and it’s hard to want to go back to a specific point. We’ve learned a ton on our journey so far, trading what we know now for something else would be a tough decision! We understand success does not have a linear trajectory, so we’re along for the ride, taking everything in as we go!

Pricing:

  • $100 for a 1 year membership.  Use code “50off” at checkout for 50% off.
  • $10 a month for a monthly membership.

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
@mountainsandmimosas

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