Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Yun Walcott.
Nicole Yun, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started at the Den 11 years ago as a server when I had just turned 21. I then worked my way through management positions at both locations learning and loving every inch of the business. I was offered a partnership by Ryan Shuck about three years ago and was handed the reins to run the business. Since then, I’ve been working on getting back to the basics of who we are in our community and respecting the 26 years of identity in our walls.
Great, 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?
There’s some definite ups and of course some definite downs. Before I became a partner, we had been put through the ringer with a series of different chefs. We lost our identity after some major menu changes were made and it turned into a landslide of wrong turns. I’ve always loved who we were when I had just started serving and I wanted to get back to that feeling. Since then, we’ve been working to shed the identity crisis and we have taken our menu back. No egos allowed just an amazing team that works on conceptualizing and executing what our customers love us for.
Please tell us about The Den Cafe.
We are Orange County’s original “alternative” cafe. We were one of the first cafes in Orange County to offer a robust mix of healthy options for all diners mixed with an eclectic and bohemian atmosphere heavily influenced by the music culture. Part coffee house, part full-service restaurant/cafe, and part live venue. Our brunch is well known and we now do it daily. We always join city events and provide our space for the local arts community. I love watching people of all walks of life sit down and commune with us after marching for women’s rights, pride parades and peacefully protesting for our civil rights.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I loved building forts and skating with my friends while constantly pushing the “come home when the street lights come on” rule.
Contact Info:
- Address: 125 N Broadway
Ste D Santa Ana, CA 92701 - Website: www.thedencafeoc.com
- Phone: (714) 835-8840
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @thedencafeoc
- Facebook: @thedensantaana
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