Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruthie Shinn
Hi Ruthie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The Lotus Cafe has been my go-to cafe for many years. I loved the healthy options and peaceful vibe. When it went up for sale in 2022 I got very excited. I felt a calling to serve my community and continue cultivating the love of good food and good people. We (my husband & I) talked it over and decided very quickly that it seemed like a good fit. We are believers in natural healing. We support healthy pathways and lifestyles. We love Utah and the beauty of this state! It is our pleasure to provide this offering in Ogden, a town that has our heart. We work hard everyday to support our community with organic, clean eating choices–including gluten-free and vegan options. It has been an incredible journey so far and a great learning experience! We look forward to what’s to come.
Alright, 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?
It has been fairly smooth. Minor bumps, lots of support from the previous owner and community. It is difficult to get ahead financially but I refuse to take advantage of our team by paying them less. Our team works hard and deserves more than minimum wage. So we have a high labor cost but there’s no way around that. Groceries have gone way up since we started as well, and it’s hard to not put that on the customer but it can’t be helped. But otherwise, we have seen a lot of support from community in patronage and that keeps us rolling!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have done many things throughout my life, jack of all trades! We are adventurous. We love to travel, enjoy music, food and people. We’re enthusiastic hikers and spend as much time as we can in a hot yoga class. I am originally from Alaska but found my home here in Ogden back in 2012. We met in 2017 and have been on this journey together-experiencing life and watching our families expand!
I think what sets us apart is our vitality. We are energetic and hard working. We love to play and be active. We often joke that we don’t know how to chill. There’s so much to experience and we definitely continue doing so. We are partners in The Lotus Cafe, with me being mostly on the forefront. Shane is very much the produce/inventory manager behind the scenes and he works a full-time job in social work. He also teaches Yoga Nidra at Buddhi Yoga. I am a musician and play as often as I can (although my band days are pretty much behind me at this point, too exhausting). Together we’ve found center ground at our wonderful cafe.
Any big plans?
We are so new to this that it is hard to say what the future will hold. We don’t have plans for any big changes right now. We did just adapt a new logo that we’re super proud of, and we’re hosting community drum circles every month. They are a hit! (pun intended). As the year goes by we look for opportunities to share music, food and fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thelotuscafe.co
- Instagram: thelotuscafeogden
- Facebook: The Lotus Cafe
