Low-key locals Kelly Stronk and Ben Butler recently opened the LoKey Cafe, a keto-friendly, grab-and-go coffee shop on the corner of Lincoln Street and Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane.
The couple always spoke of business ideas for a bar, restaurant or cafe.
Stronk says they'd say to each other, "'Wouldn't it be cool if we did this,' or 'Spokane doesn't have this,'" but they didn't move on any of those ideas until recently.
The concept sparked during the initial COVID-19 shutdown when Stronk lost 30 pounds by eating at home and tracking her macronutrient intake. However, she found herself gaining the weight back after restaurants reopened and she began eating out again.
"I couldn't find any place that I could be like, OK, this is what you're eating," says Stronk, referring to traditional menus lacking a nutritional breakdown of the food. "So let's do it ourselves."
When exploring potential locations for the cafe, Stronk mentioned to Butler that the location of the now-closed Next Door Espresso would be her dream spot. Two weeks later, she found out it was for lease. LoKey Cafe opened its doors on Dec. 28, 2021.
The two experimented with recipes crafted at home to bring a new look and taste to keto-friendly options in Spokane. Thus, the menu steers away from the traditional bread-heavy cafe items, instead offering salads, egg bites and chia puddings all prepared fresh daily.
Egg bites aren't a new concept, but the couple's creative take on them is. Butler's favorite, the Monte Cristo ($7), is the perfect example. The Monte Cristo egg bites contain all the classic sandwich ingredients: smoked turkey, prosciutto and Swiss cheese, topped with strawberry jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
LoKey also features fun, fresh salads, including Stronk's favorite: lemon blueberry kale ($12). Baby kale is tossed with blueberries, Cosmic Crisp apples, smoked blue cheese, and sunflower seeds, and paired with a house-made blueberry avocado vinaigrette. There's also the option to add a side of sous vide chicken breast or marinated, roasted tofu. This salad is the perfect combination of savory and sweet, says Stronk.
LoKey's owners understand the value of consistency, so popular items such as the chia pudding and a veggie bowl will stick around as others are rotated. The cafe offers a full line of drip coffee and espresso from Indaba Coffee Roasters, as well as hot and iced tea from Spokane-based Revival Tea Co.
The two purposely started their menu small so as not to overwhelm new customers, but they plan to expand with new items. One idea Stronk mentions is adding "hearty and hot" comfort food that's filling and nutritious. She hopes to add a microgreen salad to the grab-and-go selection this summer, featuring seasonal produce from local farms. The two value the importance of sourcing local produce and utilize local vendors as frequently as possible.
"Knowing that we took a place [Next Door Espresso] that held its ground for so many years and took the opposite turn and made it into something that people want to come to that's fresh and clean and progressive..." says Stronk. "I get chills when I think about it." ♦
The LoKey Cafe • 903 W. Riverside Ave. • Open Mon-Fri 6:30 am-3:30 pm, Sat 7:30 am-2 pm • Facebook: The LoKey Cafe
