Southern Serving Up Hospitality

Y’all Café seeks to serve up good food and a welcoming space for regulars and visitors alike

By Tabari McCoy , Scooter Media

PHILADELPHIA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS CHEESESTEAKS.

Florida, Wisconsin, Idaho and Georgia are renowned for oranges, cheese, potatoes and peaches, respectively. Chicago and New York have been battling for pizza supremacy for years. The Southwest is to Tex-Mex as Kansas City is to barbecue … And then there’s that whole battle in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region over who serves the best Cincinnati-style chili.

Just in case the rundown above wasn’t clear, food is one of the most definitive aspects of a region, functioning as both a sense of pride and a tourist attraction. For all activities associated with a good meal –weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, vacations – finding one authentic to an area’s heritage remains a staple for many a traveler.

Already popular with those in its immediate vicinity, there is now a Northern Kentucky restaurant that seeks to become a staple of many visitors’ trips to the region. The place? Y’all Café, a place that – as its motto says – encourages everyone to “sit, smile and stay awhile.”

Location, Location, Location

Located along the Covington riverfront, Y’all Café calls Covington’s RiverCenter home, making it within walking distance of two four-star hotels, the Northern Kentucky Convention Center and the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK). Open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, the restaurant (which is situated directly across from its grab-and-go sister establishment, Butler’s Pantry) offers menu items designed to satisfy a wide array of palates.

Leading the restaurant’s breakfast and brunch-themed menu is the River Side Hot Brown, Y’all Café’s take on Kentucky’s signature sandwich. Offered with smoked turkey, hickory smoked bacon, tomato, house-made cheese sauce on sourdough bread. It is rivaled by the Famous Flattop: A burger with two smashed patties, American cheese, lettuce, onion, dijonnaise, Izzy’s pickles on a Martin potato bun.

Non-meat eaters and those seeking lighter options have plenty of choices as well, with a variety of salads, soups, tacos, wraps and sides, like roasted vegetable mac and cheese, rounding out the menu.

Y’all Café’s décor defies the surrounding office setting. While a simple-yet-sophisticated bar area offers a comfortable area to relax with a cocktail in hand, the restaurant’s classic diner-style red booths are balanced by the light, natural wood shades of its chairs and walls.

That charm flows throughout the entirety of the dining area into the kitchen, where patrons can view white-aproned chefs preparing meals amidst open flames. Complementing the interior vibe is its large patio area, a perfect spot for urban outdoor dining without feeling distracted by surrounding hustle and bustle of the city at large.

“We're uniquely situated as the northernmost point in terms of being the South and we're also directly opposite of Cincinnati on the Kentucky of the river, which makes us a good launching point into Northern Kentucky … We kept the decor clean and crisp with pictures of regional attractions like the skyline,” says Y’all Café General Manager Brian Firth. “Demographic-wise, we want people from the hotels and, as the neighborhood expands, from these new residential buildings. The goal is for everyone to feel welcome in a casual and approachable setting.”

Gateway to the Commonwealth

While great meals and satisfying customer service are the day-to-day business of Y’all Café, examining how the restaurant fits into a larger plan reflects the growing investment in Northern Kentucky as a tourist destination. Like Butler’s Pantry and the RiverCenter office building itself, Y’all Café is owned by Y’all Hospitality, a subsidiary of the Corporex development firm behind The Ascent, MegaCorp Pavilion and its ongoing Ovation project.

Explaining that Corporex’s strategic thinking is reflected in the fact there has been “a plan for the neighborhood for a very long time,” Firth is excited to see things coming to fruition.

That mentality is what partially drove the transition of the restaurant into Y’all Café. Firth notes that the pandemic’s effects on the hospitality industry dictated that businesses shift and adapt in several ways. For Y’all Café, that resulted in the revamp of its name, décor and menu as well as now offering delivery for large orders of over 15 throughout Covington, including neighboring hotels.

“For us, the rebrand was more about introducing the neighborhood and how the neighborhood and residential capacity have changed, but also freshening up after the pandemic, kind of like a relaunch for the neighborhood. This is a way of saying, ‘This is where we are moving forward; we'd like y’all to check us out again,’” says Firth. “As we've seen residential expansion and growth, we expanded so that we can offer more to the neighborhood, bring in additional tourists and serve as a supplement to the hotels food offerings.”

Factor in the restaurant’s riverfront location and Firth says Y’all Café’s service to the community extends way beyond sandwiches, salads, soups and sides.

“I've lived within 15 blocks of this building for 20 years, and I really enjoy the area. I love talking to people, especially when I can see them looking at the map,” Firth says. “I like being able to tell people on a pretty day they should go see historical houses along the river, walk across the Roebling Bridge, or walk to MainStrasse to see the history there. I also like answering questions about downtown, where to go and shop, etc. I love being an ambassador for the city and can't say enough about Covington and Northern Kentucky.”

Meals (and Memories) To Go

Carla Heiert is Y’all Café’s Executive Chef. The Fort Thomas native says there are multiple reasons the restaurant serves as a welcoming point for visitors, the restaurant’s location, setting and menu among them.

“We have a lot to offer and being in a key spot for the Covington/Cincinnati area, we get the best of both worlds,” says Heiert. “When people travel, there’s a ‘What are these people known for? Let's go see what it's about’ factor – people flock to experiences … We’re in a business where we can open your eyes to things that are native to Kentucky.”

Asked what she hopes visitors to Y’all Café think upon finishing their meal, her answer is simple: “That they’ll be back.”

“Once I was cooking for a couple staying at the Embassy Suites and they had ordered an omelet; they wanted to meet the chef. They came back the following year and brought 150 of their friends for a wedding and wanted to rent our patio because they were impressed,” she says. “Especially being native to the area, you want to shine. You want to impress people like the couple who came back after I cooked that omelet. People will walk over to use the restroom or grab something to drink and high-five one of us because of a great meal. That is a definite point of pride and makes me want to continue to deliver a great experience to everyone who walks through our doors.” NKY