Roosevelt Row's MonOrchid Restaurant Trio

MonOrchid, a unique layout of restaurants on Roosevelt Row is home to Sake Haus, Pedal Haus, and Kahvi Coffee and Cafe. Each restaurant has its own specialty but they work and share a central space together.

Pedal Haus was the first of the three restaurants to set up shop on Roosevelt Row. After COVID-19 Julian Wright, the owner of all three, acquired the space for a cafe and a third undetermined restaurant. Wright opened Kahvi, a cafe, as the space had previously been home to a coffee shop. Due to the small space of the third restaurant, Wright leaned into sushi and created a small, intimate and unique sushi restaurant, Sake Haus.

Wright said he started working in hospitality to pay his way through college. After graduating with a journalism degree he stuck to the restaurant business for “the energy and the social aspect.”

The location of all three restaurants is referred to as MonOrchid, and though Pedal Haus was the first at MonOrchid, Wright chose the location for a reason.

“It started with Pedal Haus, but part of the reason we liked that location and that building in particular is they had that big shared space in the middle which is used for events,” Wright said.

Between the three restaurants is a shared space used for different events. Wright owns all three restaurants but Sake Haus works independently with its own staff. Pedal Haus, however, owns Kahvi and so shares employees and event space.

Pedal Haus and Kahvi take full advantage of this space hosting anywhere from two to four events a week between October and April, according the the Kahvi general manager Tony Kitmitto. Kitmitto said that in addition to using a shared space, the two restaurants share employees from time to time. Though the two restaurants work together the businesses both function differently

“We are two separate business models and we’re serving two separate products. We don’t necessarily cross the business model too much but we definitely lean on each for resources,” Kitmitto said about working in joint with Pedal Haus.

The unique relationship between the restaurants at MonOrchid is not the only relationship — all three restaurants are actively engaging with the community as well. Part of each restaurant’s business model is its own way of interacting with the downtown Phoenix community.

Roosevelt Row hosts First Friday every month and both Wright and Kitmitto said they see a large influx of customers on those days. In addition to First Friday, Pedal House and Kahvi host art shows and live performance art events.

Kitmitto said outside of private events Kahvi hosts drag shows once a month and recently more comedy nights too. Pedal Haus will sometimes join in on these events in the shared space.

Sake Haus may not host artistic events with the community but it was designed and influenced by the artists of downtown. Wright said he commissioned three artists to work on pieces inside Sake Haus because he “really liked that independent spirit, that funkiness.”

The three restaurants have incorporated the surrounding community into their business model, but they also have their own community as well, especially between Pedal Haus and Kahvi.

“The Kahvi staff loves to go over and interact with Pedal Haus, interacting and eating there after work. Every time Pedal Haus opens up, staff members will grab coffee from Kahvi beforehand,” Kitmitto said.