Hospitality is a critical blueprint for ‘success’

by Tom Neal

By Tom Neal
Contributing Writer

“No one does business alone.”

- Andreas Widmer

There’s a cafe named Evolve Coffee + Matcha on West Esplanade in Metairie that embodies Widmer’s contention – that business is about bringing people together – and I just have to share its story.

For the last few years, coffee shops have been for me places of rest, reflection, conversation and work that require just the right vibe; and finding that “right one” has always been a challenge.

I first discovered Evolve late in 2020, when I was looking online one day for a coffee shop in New Orleans to take my daughters to, that was not a chain. Something with character. I didn’t expect to find one in Metairie, as I thought I knew every coffee shop there already!

Friendliness personified

I still remember first walking in and recall exactly where we sat. We immediately loved the space. Small, neat, homey, a quaint décor and an extremely friendly barista. Later I came to know her as the owner, former investment banker Yvonne Pichoff, who left her profession and opened Evolve just before COVID hit. Imagine that obstacle! But, it didn’t stifle her entrepreneurial resolve.

With Yvonne’s gentle professionalism, superb customer service by all her employees and a spotless shop with consistently excellent coffee, tea and food, it’s no wonder Evolve quickly outgrew itself. Over the next few years, it eventually expanded to include a second shop in New Orleans. As her business grew, I saw Yvonne more rarely at the Esplanade location.
Then my wife Patti and I moved away to Florida.

Retracing his steps

Recently I returned to Metairie, after being away for about nine months, to do some business with the DMV. Before I turned right around to head back to Pensacola, I decided to stop at Evolve to grab a coffee and sit for a bit, giving thanks to God for the many wonderful times I had spent in that space. I thought of the countless hours over three years that I spent there hanging out with my daughters, meeting up with friends, writing talks and lectures, or just sitting quietly reading.

Oh, and how many chance encounters I had at that coffeehouse that eventually led to new relationships and fresh opportunities.

Evolve is a sacred place for me.

When I walked into the shop the day of my DMV visit, I was pleasantly surprised to see Yvonne! It had been over a year since I had seen her. As soon as she saw me standing in line, before I spoke a word, she said: “Hi Tom! So nice to see you! It’s been a while. The usual small iced mocha?” I was completely amazed. She remembered my name and my drink as if I had been there last week. It felt like a homecoming.

An intentional ‘oasis’

A year and a half ago, when she was sharing with me her plans for the new shop in New Orleans, I told her: “You know, you should put in the new shop stenciled quotes on the walls from customers. You know, share the uniqueness of your business through others’ eyes.” Then I wrote my own proposed quote on a napkin and gave it to her: “Evolve, more an oasis than a business. – Tom Neal.”

Being in Yvonne’s business is an experience of welcome, of hospitality, a place for friends to gather and for people in a rush to slow down for a moment, feeling the touch of human warmth.

And it all bears the stamp of Yvonne’s own gracious style, her gifts and passion, her hard work and dedication. It’s a testament to excellent leadership and customer service that puts the human before the profit. And voilà! It’s profitable, far beyond money.

For me, Yvonne’s business ethos evokes in me a desire for excellence in my work as a service to others, to lift spirits and create humanizing spaces in the world disposed to revealing the glory of God in the simplest gestures of kindness and caring. Evolve is a place you want to return to because it feels like home. And tastes like a cup of heaven.

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