To Our Jives Café Family,

This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to write.

After so much thought, tears, conversations, and soul searching, I’ve decided to temporarily close the doors to Jives Café — but this is not the end of our story.

For a long time, we’ve been actively searching for a second location to expand our brand. After a lot of consideration, we realized that instead of opening a second café, the best decision is to move our first and only Jives Café to a brand new home. 

While the new space undergoes renovations and we prepare for this next chapter, I’m also taking this opportunity to give my heart back to where it’s needed most — my family.

This café started as a dream — a vision to create a space where people could feel something… warmth, community, connection, love. And I did that. I built something beautiful, and I’m so proud of what we created together. The laughs, the events, the friendships — they were real. The magic was real.

But what most people don’t see is the sacrifice that comes with that dream. I used to look at other restaurant owners and think, “Wow, they must have it all.” Big businesses, full tables, money rolling in. But what I’ve learned is that behind every brunch spot, every packed dinner crowd, is a family holding on by a thread. A partner raising the kids alone. A parent missing every milestone. A home that feels more like a hotel.

When you run a restaurant — and especially when both you and your spouse own businesses — freedom doesn’t exist. The pressure never shuts off. The money comes and goes like the stock market. You become the last one to bed, the first one up, and somewhere along the way, you stop recognizing yourself.

I lost sight of the most important community I have — my family. My husband, my children, and my father, who recently faced serious health challenges. They’ve waited patiently in the background while I poured myself into building something for everyone else. And that’s when I realized… I was showing up for the wrong people first.

This pause isn’t because I failed. It’s because I finally woke up.

I also want to talk about hospitality — and humanity. Because I’ve learned a lot about both. I came into this business thinking everyone had good intentions. That if you loved people, they’d love you back. That if you poured your heart into something, people would understand and appreciate it. But not everyone does.

Some folks will judge you harshly, speak to you with entitlement, and forget that behind the counter is a human being with a family, feelings, and a life just as complex as theirs. I’ve seen people be incredibly kind. I’ve also seen people be downright cruel. And I’ll be honest — it hardened me.

But I’m walking away from this for now with a heart full of lessons. Lessons about strength. About boundaries. About not letting someone else’s opinion of you shape your soul. About the importance of protecting your peace — and your people.

To every restaurant owner out there sacrificing holidays, date nights, weekends, and bedtime stories — hats off to you. The world will never fully understand what it takes to do what you do. To those watching from the outside, please remember that behind every “successful” business is someone walking on thin ice — doing their absolute best not to let it crack.

This isn’t goodbye. It’s just a new beginning.

Thank you for the memories. Thank you for the support. Thank you for loving Jives the way I did. I’ll never forget what we built here together.

With all my love,

Oriana

Jives Café