Inside 43215: Downtown Dish
LA-LA-LA-LA-LOLA
Who is Lola?
When did her face start appearing on a dollar bill?
Why do her pizzas and panini taste so familiar?
All sorts of questions surround the opening of Downtown’s newest eatery, Cafe Lola. Fortunately for the lunch bunch, these kinds of questions have delicious answers.
1. Owner Kevin Ames is not Lola. His wife and partner is Lori Ames. Although her name is Lori, Lola is her nickname bestowed by a family member.
2. Lola Bucks have been issued since the joint made its debut. A Lola Buck is a counterfeit dollar bill with a fictional Lola photo in the center. As a coupon, it’s redeemable for a dollar off your meal at the cafe. That’s great considering that the pizzas, panini and quesadillas are all priced around five dollars.
3. Lola’s familiar flavors stem from the Ames restaurant history. Ask Kevin if he knows the restaurant business, and he’ll tell you, “We owned Frezno, Dagwoodz and Press Grill.” The format for Cafe Lola is unique, though. The owner continues, “Everything is designed to be prepared in two or three minutes and served within four minutes.”
With a pace like that, there’s plenty of time for breakfast or la-la-la-lunch at Lola. The eatery can be found under a construction fence at 12 E. Broad Street, on the corner of High.
