The Funky Monkey Crepe Café

by Kelly Bleck

Paint splattered walls and a small case with two hot plates greet visitors to a unique business along College Avenue. A few tables are scattered throughout the front room, but clearly this business has just begun.

Nineteen-year-old Orry Carr’s parents had made crepes on a traveling show that showcased funnel cakes and deserts. Colorado natives, they have owned their own business all their lives and Funky Monkey is the fifth.

Carr works in the shop almost every day, helping run and manage the business.

“We’re profiting, making enough money to pay bills and a little left over for me,” Carr says.

He comments on how the Fort Collins demographic is so diverse and provides a good consumer base for each unique business that crops up in Fort Collins.

“I get a wide demographic in, from older single women for lunch, college kids all hours and families on weekends,” Carr says. “We’ve been getting a lot of groups in, with three-quarters of them exceeding thirty people.”

Funky Monkey has had to work out quirks, learning that foot traffic is key and the initial reaction to the entrance of the business can make or break a sale.

“We have a lot of walk-ins, people who just wonder what we do,” Carr says. “We’re working on redecorating the front, but it’ll be just one day you walk in and it’s different. It’ll be an overnight thing.”

They have already added on to their store with a back room.

“We weren’t able to open it this summer because we didn’t have air conditioning. But now that we have the back room opened we’ve been getting a lot of groups in,” Carr says.

The business has also become attuned to the amount of alcohol consumption in Fort Collins.

“We got our license just under two weeks ago. It was a process,” Carr said. “But we definitely have seen the after and during bar rush. We have a steady following at night.”

Funky Monkey has also adapted to Fort Collins night life by incorporating unique, longer hours. They’re open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We’re the only dessert place open past, 10 or 11 p.m.,” Carr says. “We brought in the alcohol to increase the sales of the crepes, but we can profit off both. And we’ve seen our food sales go up exponentially.”

Funky Monkey also offers catered events, and will be expanding their menu to include entrees like soups and salads.

“We have our repeat customers. It’s a good recipe and it’s only an average wait of one and a half minutes for a crepe,” Carr says.