Cafe Camaraderie

Uptown Cafe Owner Chooses Carmel for Third Location

Writer / Jon Shoulders

Photographer / Brian Brosmer

The key to Uptown Cafe Owner Jonathon Smith’s success is, to him, no mystery. It’s all about the staff he’s been surrounded with since opening his first location in 2013.

Smith is opening a third Uptown Cafe in Carmel, and says existing managers and additional employees who have worked at the other two Uptown spots are part owners of the upcoming Carmel location, including Kyle Helpling, Steve Echols and Pat Baron.

“Everybody is invested, not just financially, but emotionally and physically, in the business,” Smith says. “All of us are local and grew up in this area. We’ve built a menu around ingredients and products that we know Hoosiers like. It’s a special group.”

Smith and some of his employees have worked together for nearly 15 years.

“I’m the oldest at 40, and we all grew up together learning,” he says. “When we had the opportunity to grow Uptown, and everyone I’ve worked with continues to need a career, I was thinking, ‘How can I help these people out so they don’t leave and go somewhere else?’ We all know the same systems, the same routines and the same recipes, so I said why not grow a restaurant for each of my managers and people that want to be partners down the road?”

Smith adds that timing was a major factor in choosing Carmel for the next Uptown restaurant, which, like the other two locations, serves breakfast, brunch and lunch items.

“When we found the location it was already set up as a breakfast restaurant,” he says. “I was able to purchase all the furniture and equipment, so it kept my overhead low. The location is really just perfect.”

Smith first spotted the Carmel space in late April, eventually signing a lease in May. Light renovations followed for the next several months, and he’s planning for an official opening in early November.

“We’re going to open the doors and take people as they come,” Smith says. “Word of mouth is how we built our business from the beginning, and it’s the best form of advertising in restaurants.”

After growing up in Indy and attending Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Smith went on to study at Purdue University before taking on several different positions within the restaurant industry around the state of Indiana.

“When I was 16 I wanted a car, and my mom and dad told me to get a job,” Smith recalls. “My best friend told me his uncle owned a restaurant, so that was my introduction to the food industry. I really grew up in the industry, and still enjoy it after 24 years in it.”

Smith opened the original Noblesville Uptown Cafe location in 2013, and the second location in Indianapolis opened in 2017. The Noblesville store underwent a significant expansion in 2019.

The menu at all three locations is the same and includes breakfast bowls, Benedicts, house-made baked goods, specialty omelets, salads, soups, sandwiches and more.

“We’re trying to keep the same feel at Carmel as the other restaurants,” Smith says. “This Carmel location is two or three times the size of the other restaurants, so there’s a lot more opportunity when it comes to having a private meeting space, and we have a covered patio. We’re going to keep that diner, breakfast-and-lunch feel, but we have opportunity down the road to grow into catering and things on the patio. That’s the best part about Carmel, that we can broaden our horizons.”

Smith says the fact that the kitchen staff makes its breads, pastries and condiments in-house has gone over well with customers, and the Benedict selection is particularly popular, along with the breakfast bowls and salads.

“Having the same menu and hours at all three locations helps keep us fresh and up to date with what everyone is doing,” he says. “If people are driving through Carmel and maybe usually go to Noblesville, and they want to try Carmel out, I want them to have the same experience in Carmel that they have up in Noblesville or in Indianapolis.”

The most important element for Smith when it comes to all of his Uptown locations is a welcoming environment, both for patrons and staff.

“I played football at Hamilton Southeastern, and I’ve got pictures of me playing Carmel that I’m going to put up at the Carmel restaurant,” he says. “I want to continue that hometown feel. To have a Noblesville, Indianapolis and now a Carmel restaurant is nice. If we could have one in Fishers I’d like to have one there as well. It’s just nice to continue to grow with this family of people working here that continue to invest their time and sweat in the business.”

For more info on Uptown Cafe including menu details, online ordering, or jobs, visit uptowncafes.com.