Crêpe Café Sisters is getting ready to open its second brick-and-mortar location in an area where the company got its start 23 years ago: Liberty Lake.

“We knew this was going to be our next spot because we have such amazing customers at the Liberty Lake market,” says Crêpe Café Sisters co-owner Jessica Gillespie. “It originated here, so we definitely wanted to be in this community.”

Renovations are currently underway at the site, which is expected to open this fall at 1950 N. Harvest Parkway, across from Orchard Park, in Liberty Lake’s River District. The 1,400-square-foot space is owned by Harvest Parkway Commercial LLC, a Greenstone Corp. affiliate, and was formerly occupied by TT’s Brewery & BBQ. 

Crêpe Café Sisters, which originally opened as Crêpe Café in 2002, has been a staple at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market since its inception. Over the years, the business has passed through several hands before landing with sisters Gillespie and Ashley Sadaoui, who purchased the business in 2015 when they were 21 and 22 years old. Their brother, Billy Moon, joined as a silent partner.

“We knew the owners because they were high school teachers and Young Life leaders around town,” says Gillespie. “They ran into my sister at Texas Roadhouse and said, ‘You should buy it.’”

At the time, both sisters were in college and the siblings decided to purchase the business with the intention of operating it as a summer job. They rebranded to Crêpe Café Sisters, secured the legal trademarks, and set off with their crepe stand from Liberty Lake to the Kendall Yards Night Market, in Spokane, in 2015.

“Each summer, we just got busier and busier,” says Gillespie.

The rapid growth created a need to bring on a fourth owner, Amber Robillard, in 2018. The company was operating with 10 to 15 employees at the time, and served multiple farmers markets and private events.

“Hiring Amber was one of the best things that happened to us because she really helped us grow to the next level,” Gillespie says. “We were able to go to a food truck and then eventually a store because she loves the numbers. ... We were getting to a point where we were outgrowing what we had.”

By 2019, the ownership group became interested in operating storefront and began scouting for potential locations. Through connections made at the Kendall Yards Night Market, the group met with Greenstone President and CEO Joe Frank — a frequent customer of Crêpe Café Sisters at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market. The team from Greenstone offered a space for the business at an undeveloped lot where a new building was planned for construction in Kendall Yards.

“It was really awesome to have that connection,” Gillespie says of Frank. “Just to see how we have grown and to have that faith in us and know we would be a good addition to the Kendall Yards area.”

They signed a lease in November 2019 and planned to move into a 1,400-square-foot building at 441 N. Nettleton, in Kendall Yards. Before that could happen, however, COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns halted their construction plans. In the meantime, Crêpe Café Sisters, using a Small Business Administration loan secured before the pandemic, purchased its first food trailer and began serving as a vendor along with other businesses at Olmsted Park.

In May 2021, Crêpe Café Sisters opened at the Kendall Yards location, serving a full crepe menu, fruit bowls, espresso drinks, and mimosas.

The new Liberty Lake location will operate the same hours as the Kendall Yards eatery, Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The food trailer operates seasonally at both the Liberty Lake Farmers Market on Saturdays, and the Kendall Yards Night Market on Wednesdays. 

The menu features both sweet and savory items, including house-made sauces such as lemon curd, strawberry, raspberry, and caramel, says Gillespie. A popular savory choice is the Pickett, a Mediterranean-inspired crepe with spinach, pesto, and slow-roasted tomatoes. The BeBe, she says, is a signature menu item made with a special lemon curd.

In addition to restaurant and market operations, the company offers food trailer rentals for private events such as weddings, graduation parties, and corporate gatherings, with packages starting at $950. The storefront can also be rented after-hours for events, starting at $100 per hour, with flexible catering options.

Today, Crêpe Café Sisters operates with a team of up to 30 employees during peak season.

Gillespie declines to disclose the company's annual revenue, however, she says the year-over-year growth is 20% or more.

“It’s been a thousands-of-percent increase from where we started,” she says. “And it’s all thanks to our amazing customers.” 

Small Bites

Walla Walla-based Bledsoe Family Winery, in partnership with Cougar Collective, announced the release of a new blend of wine that will directly support Washington State University student athletes. Proceeds from each bottle sold of a new wine, the Ol' Crimson Legendary Red Blend, will benefit the Cougar Collective, a volunteer organization dedicated to creating Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for WSU student athletes, according to a press release by Cougar Collective.

The blend is crafted in-house from estate-grown Walla Walla fruit by Josh McDaniels, CEO and director of winemaking at Bledsoe Family Winery. The wine was released Aug. 26 and sells for $45 a bottle.