Cafe Aion

What Cafe Aion does

Cafe Aion is a single-location, independent neighborhood restaurant operating on University Hill in Boulder, Colorado since April 2, 2010. The restaurant offers Spanish and French bistro-inspired cuisine in a tapas/small-plates format with a daily-changing seasonal menu, and serves Boulder residents, University of Colorado affiliates, leisure diners, and private event hosts. Founder/chef-owner Dakota Soifer, whose prior experience includes Zuni Café, Julia's Kitchen, The Kitchen Café, and a Season 4 win on Cutthroat Kitchen, drives the culinary program and brand identity.

The business operates four revenue streams: dine-in service (reservations via OpenTable for parties of six or fewer, with larger groups handled directly), online ordering and delivery through the Clover platform, private events and catering (full buyouts for 25-80 guests, Side-Bar reservations for 8-20, and off-site catering with 3-foot paella pans), and at-home paella kits sold online. Daily specials (Tuesday happy hour, Wednesday paella-and-wine for $67, Thursday burger-and-beer for $23, Sunday 50% off wine) drive weekday traffic. Gift cards are redeemable at both Cafe Aion and its sister concept Brasserie Boulder, which is operated under the same ownership.

The technology footprint is non-proprietary and entirely third-party: OpenTable for reservations, Clover for online ordering/retail/payments, and standard website and gift card platforms. There is no proprietary software, no AI/ML capability, and no app. The company is private, founder-owned, with no external investment or funding rounds disclosed, and operates with a headcount in the 11-50 range. Distribution is regional, confined to the Boulder market, with no global footprint claim and no geographic expansion signals beyond the existing sister restaurant concept.

Name

Cafe Aion

Legal name

Cafe Aion

Website

https://cafeaion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cafe Aion is a single-location, founder-owned Spanish and French bistro-style tapas restaurant on University Hill in Boulder, Colorado, serving local residents, University of Colorado affiliates, leisure diners, and private event hosts since 2010 across dine-in, catering, online ordering, and paella kit retail channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)

Keywords

• Spanish bistro cuisine
• Tapas small plates
• Neighborhood restaurant dining
• Private event catering
• Paella at-home kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in service: Full-service restaurant dining with tapas/small plates, featuring daily changing seasonal menu. Reservations accepted for groups up to 6 via OpenTable; larger groups contact restaurant directly.
2. Online ordering and delivery: Takeout and delivery service via Clover platform for tapas, plates, platters, desserts, and drinks. Orders can be scheduled for future dates.
3. Private events and catering: Private event hosting including rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, brunches, company events. Full buyout for 25-80 guests; Side-Bar area for groups of 8-20. Also provides catering with large paella pans for off-site events.
4. Paella kits and retail: At-home paella kits sold online including 10-inch paella pan, bomba rice, saffron-tomato base, shrimp, chicken, chorizo, and recipe. Also sells individual pans and rice packs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cafe Aion operates a single-location neighborhood bistro on University Hill in Boulder, Colorado, serving Spanish and French-inspired small plates with a daily-changing seasonal menu. Beyond dine-in, the restaurant sells at-home paella kits, offers online ordering for pickup and delivery, hosts private events and off-site catering, and issues digital gift cards redeemable at its sister restaurant Brasserie Boulder.

Product overview

Cafe Aion operates as a single-location neighborhood restaurant with several integrated service offerings. The core product is the restaurant itself, offering Spanish and French-inspired bistro cuisine with a tapas-style menu that changes daily to reflect seasonal availability. The product portfolio includes Paella Kit (an at-home cooking product sold separately), Private Events & Catering services, Gift Cards (usable at both Cafe Aion and its sister restaurant Brasserie Boulder), and Online Ordering for pickup and delivery. The restaurant also leverages third-party platforms (OpenTable for reservations, Clover for online ordering) to enable its service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brasserie Boulder: Sister restaurant of Cafe Aion, operated by the same ownership.

Products and services

• Cafe Aion Restaurant Full-service neighborhood bistro serving Spanish and French-inspired cuisine in a tapas/small-plates format with a menu that changes daily to reflect seasonal availability. Open Tuesday through Sunday for dine-in service.
• Paella at Home Kit At-home paella preparation kit including a 10-inch paella pan, bomba rice, saffron-tomato base, shrimp, chicken, chorizo, and recipe. Individual pans and packs of paella rice are also available.
• Private Events and Catering Event hosting including rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, brunches, and company events. Offers full-buyout for 25-80 guests, Side-Bar area for groups of 8-20, and off-site catering with 3-foot diameter paella pans plus cheese/charcuterie and tapas options. Includes University-affiliated event support with tax-exempt and University card billing.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards purchased online and redeemable for dine-in and takeout purchases at both Cafe Aion and its sister restaurant Brasserie Boulder.
• Online Ordering for Pickup and Delivery Pickup and delivery ordering for tapas, plates, platters, desserts, and drinks via the Clover online ordering platform, with the ability to schedule orders for future dates.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brasserie BouldercoreOthersSister restaurant concept owned by the same chef/owner Dakota Soifer. Gift cards can be redeemed at both Cafe Aion and Brasserie Boulder, indicating coordinated operations and shared customer base.
• University of Colorado (CU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 14 years of experience hosting University-affiliated events. Convenient location for CU events with easy tax-exempt and University card billing options.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Frasca Food and Wine: Acclaimed Boulder, CO neighborhood restaurant offering regional Italian cuisine with a serious wine and hospitality program. Directly comparable to Cafe Aion as a high-end Boulder sit-down with a chef-owner, national press profile, and similar trade-area positioning on Pearl Street.
• Brasserie Boulder: Sister French bistro concept to Cafe Aion under the same chef-owner Dakota Soifer. Most directly comparable as a same-operator multi-concept platform; gift cards are honored across both restaurants, demonstrating the dual-concept operating model.
• Black Cat Bistro: Boulder's James Beard-recognized farm-to-table bistro from chef Eric Skokan. Directly comparable to Cafe Aion as a Boulder neighborhood bistro with chef-ownership, James Beard-adjacent press, and seasonal menu philosophy.
• The Kitchen American Bistro: Boulder farm-to-table bistro concept founded by chef Kimbal Musk. Comparable to Cafe Aion as a Boulder neighborhood restaurant with chef-driven seasonal menus, a sister farm-to-table concept (The Kitchen Café), and overlapping target customer base.
• Oak at Fourteenth: Boulder contemporary American bistro on Pearl Street from chef Steve Redzikowski. Comparable to Cafe Aion in Boulder trade area, upscale-but-approachable positioning, seasonal small-plates menu, and award-winning chef reputation.
• Barcelona Wine Bar: Multi-location Spanish tapas and wine bar concept. Comparable to Cafe Aion in Spanish cuisine specialization, small-plates format, curated Spanish wine list, and bar-led hospitality model.
• Rioja Restaurant: Jennifer Jasinski's Spanish-inspired upscale restaurant in Denver serving small plates and paella. Directly comparable to Cafe Aion in cuisine focus (Spanish), small-plates format, regional press profile, and Front Range Colorado market.
• Pizzeria Locale: Boulder-based chef-driven pizza concept that has scaled into a regional chain. Comparable to Cafe Aion as a Boulder-born chef-driven concept that expanded beyond a single location, illustrating a viable growth path for an independent Boulder restaurant.

Broad incumbents

• Zuni Café: Iconic San Francisco bistro where Cafe Aion's chef-owner Dakota Soifer trained. Comparable as a benchmark California bistro with similar chef-driven, seasonally rotating menu and nationally recognized brand — useful as a peer reference for the brand ceiling a chef-driven bistro can reach.
• Jaleo by José Andrés: José Andrés Group's flagship Spanish restaurant concept with multiple U.S. locations. Comparable to Cafe Aion in Spanish cuisine focus and small-plates format; broader incumbent that demonstrates scaled Spanish-concept execution and the brand ceiling a successful Spanish restaurant can reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CafeAionBoulder
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafeaion
• Xx.com/cafeaion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafe-aion-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cafe Aion