Kona Craft Kitchen & CPS: A Test Kitchen Case Study

The Brief

  • Kona Craft Kitchen is an all-day, all-night restaurant and bar that’s set to open in Dublin, Ohio’s Bridge Park community in fall of 2021.
  • Their restaurant is currently under construction, so they needed an alternative space to test recipes and collaborate as a team.
  • Executive Chef Josh Kayser has worked with CPS for many years, and recently learned about the CPS Test Kitchen in Columbus.
  • CPS has enabled Kona Craft Kitchen to test over 100 recipes and complete administrative to-dos such as hiring new employees.

The Story

Kona Craft Kitchen is an all-day and all-night eatery and bar that’s set to open in Dublin, Ohio in fall of 2021. The up-and-coming establishment owned by industry veterans Frank and Stacy Leary will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in addition to a selection of fresh baked goods, craft cocktails, draft beers, and – of course – Kona coffee, a world-renowned beverage that’s grown exclusively on the slopes of two volcanoes on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Challenge

Kona Craft Kitchen prides itself on having an extremely scratch-focused approach; they tout “no microwaves, no can openers, and no freezers” as a key pillar of business. Everything they create is thoughtfully crafted with fresh, local ingredients. But with so many recipes to test prior to opening, Executive Chef Josh Kayser and General Manager Nick Pennino needed a commercial kitchen in which to collaborate and jumping between various spaces wasn’t an option – especially when their signature cold brew coffee take 24+ hours to perfect.

Why CPS?

Executive Chef Josh Kayser has been active in the food and hospitality industry for decades, and CPS has been his go-to partner for commercial kitchen equipment repairs in recent years. In fact, he personally witnessed CPS install a bay of six combination ovens in his last restaurant – an impressive feat by any standards. So when Josh Kayser got word of CPS’s Test Kitchens, he was extremely excited because he knows from experience that CPS has just about any commercial equipment an executive chef would need when preparing to open a new restaurant and establish breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus.

The Results

According to Executive Chef Josh Kayser and General Manager Nick Pennino, CPS has been extremely hospitable to Kona Craft Kitchen. From 4-burner cooktops to combi ovens, flat top griddles, Vitamix blenders, and a proof box, CPS has been able to provide Kona Craft Kitchen with every piece of kitchen equipment they’ve asked for. What’s more, they also let Kona Craft Kitchen store menu ingredients and specialized equipment at the Test Kitchen – a major perk for any up-and-coming restaurant that can’t afford money loss or time delays due to equipment theft or expensive storage.

“Without CPS, we’d likely have to push back our restaurant opening by weeks or even months.” – Nick Pennino, General Manager at Kona Craft Kitchen

The Next Steps

Kona Craft Kitchen is set to open in Dublin, Ohio in fall of 2021 at 6757 Longshore St, Dublin, OH 43017. Serving up 100% pure Kona coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, baked goods, craft cocktails, and draft beer, the up-and-coming restaurant will bring a breath of fresh Hawaiian-inspired air to the Bridge Park community. You can visit the restaurant’s website here and follow them on Facebook here for real-time updates.

If you’re interested in reserving one of our Test Kitchens in Cincinnati or Columbus, simply contact your local branch with your proposed dates: