Cafe Kacao

What Cafe Kacao does

Cafe Kacao is a single-location, independently owned Latin American restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, founded in 2006 by Veronica Zelada, a native of Guatemala. The restaurant serves homemade breakfast and lunch cuisine with a strong emphasis on authentic Guatemalan dishes drawn from the founder's grandmother's recipes, supplemented by menu items inspired by El Salvador, southern Mexico, and Brazil. Its beverage program is anchored by coffee imported directly from Guatemala. The restaurant operates from a single address at 3325 N Classen Blvd, with limited daytime hours (7:30am–2:30pm weekdays, 7:30am–3:00pm weekends), positioning it as a brunch and breakfast destination rather than a full-service daypart operation.

The business model is straightforward direct-to-consumer casual dining: customers visit the physical location to dine in, or place pickup orders through the Toasttab online ordering platform. The restaurant also sells branded merchandise (developed in collaboration with Latin American artists) and gift cards via Toasttab, and operates a Toasttab-powered loyalty rewards program alongside an email newsletter to drive repeat visits. Marketing is conducted organically across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp, with Yelp serving as both a review platform and a waitlist management tool. There is no independent delivery, catering, wholesale, or franchise operation.

Cafe Kacao has no proprietary technology infrastructure and is not a venture-backed or PE-backed business — it is founder-owned with no external funding rounds, parent company, or subsidiaries. Its competitive position rests entirely on culinary authenticity, cultural narrative, and brand recognition built over 15+ years of operation, validated by five Yelp Top 100 placements (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026), Forbes, Travel Channel, and 405 Magazine recognition, and a 2026 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: Southwest. The co-founder is Luidgi Del Cid, also from Guatemala City.

Name

Cafe Kacao

Legal name

Cafe Kacao

Website

https://cafekacao.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cafe Kacao is a single-location, founder-owned Latin American restaurant in Oklahoma City serving homemade Guatemalan-inspired breakfast and lunch from the founder's grandmother's recipes, complemented by imported Guatemalan coffee and artisan merchandise, to local diners and food tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

Keywords

• Latin American restaurant
• Guatemalan cuisine
• Breakfast and brunch
• Casual dining
• Imported coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. In-restaurant dining sales: Revenue generated from customers dining in at the restaurant, ordering from the full menu including homemade Latin American breakfast and lunch items, and imported Guatemalan coffee and beverages.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cafe Kacao is a single-location casual dining restaurant in Oklahoma City, OK, serving homemade Latin American breakfast and lunch cuisine with a strong focus on authentic Guatemalan dishes inspired by the founder's grandmother's family recipes. The menu also features items from south of Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil, and pairs the food with imported Guatemalan coffee and other beverages served in a dine-in or online-order-for-pickup setting.

Product overview

Cafe Kacao is a Latin American restaurant offering a unified dining experience centered on homemade breakfast and brunch cuisine. The core product portfolio consists of two main offerings: a Latin American food menu (with focus on Guatemalan cuisine) and imported Guatemalan coffee. The food and beverage menus are offered as separate documents but together constitute the full restaurant dining experience. No modular add-ons, platform architecture, or distinct software products are offered — the company is a traditional restaurant service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Latin American Breakfast and Lunch Dining (Homemade Guatemalan Cuisine) Sit-down breakfast and lunch service offering homemade Latin American dishes with a strong focus on authentic Guatemalan cuisine, served to individual diners and families at the Oklahoma City restaurant.
• Imported Guatemalan Coffee and Beverage Service

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Raquel AranaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Salvadorian artist Raquel Arana collaborated with Cafe Kacao in 2022 for their 11th anniversary. The collection featured handmade handbags and notebooks crafted by artisans from El Salvador. This partnership extended the restaurant's cultural mission into artisan merchandise.
• El Salvador ArtisansminorOthers · 1 January 2022Artisans from El Salvador who crafted handmade handbags and notebooks featured in the Raquel Arana X Cafe Kacao collection. These artisans were part of the 2022 11th anniversary collaboration.
• Carlos BarbozacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCarlos Barboza painted a large mural at Cafe Kacao depicting Latin American heritage, featuring national flowers and birds from Central and South American countries, the Santa Catalina Arch, and the Quetzal bird. The mural serves as a visual celebration and educational piece about Latin American culture, connecting the restaurant's Guatemalan roots with the broader community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Broken Spanish: Modern Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles led by chef Ray Garcia, featuring regional Mexican cuisine with contemporary execution. Comparable to Cafe Kacao as a single-location, chef-driven Latin American restaurant with national press recognition and culinary credibility.
• Republique: Iconic all-day French-inspired bakery and restaurant in Los Angeles with strong brunch daypart and national media recognition. Comparable as a single-location, brunch-focused, award-winning independent restaurant operating in a historic space with strong brand recognition.
• Sqirl: Single-location breakfast and brunch restaurant in Los Angeles known for jam-focused cuisine and cult following. Comparable to Cafe Kacao as a brunch-focused, single-location independent restaurant with strong national brand recognition and a differentiated menu philosophy.

Direct peers

• Fonda San Miguel: Family-run interior Mexican restaurant in Austin serving regional cuisine from multiple Mexican states since 1975. Comparable to Cafe Kacao as a long-operating, founder-driven Latin American restaurant with deep cultural authenticity and decades of sustained brand equity.
• Guelaguetza: Family-owned Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles serving regional Mexican cuisine with strong cultural authenticity and James Beard recognition. Directly comparable to Cafe Kacao as a single-location, founder-driven, culturally authentic Latin American restaurant that has leveraged its heritage into national brand recognition.
• El Naranjo: Oaxacan and Mexican restaurant in Austin led by chef Iliana de la Vega, with James Beard recognition for its regional Mexican cuisine. Comparable as a chef-founder-driven, regional Mexican/Latin American restaurant with strong culinary credibility and cultural authenticity.
• The Breakfast Klub: Iconic breakfast and brunch restaurant in Houston's Third Ward with national media recognition and strong cultural identity. Comparable to Cafe Kacao as a single-location, breakfast/brunch-focused, founder-driven restaurant that has built cult-like national brand recognition through authentic cultural storytelling.
• Hugo's: James Beard-recognized regional Mexican restaurant in Houston led by chef Hugo Ortega, serving authentic Mexican cuisine with cultural storytelling. Highly comparable to Cafe Kacao as an independent, award-winning Latin American restaurant built around a chef-founder's heritage and family recipes.
• Yelapa Playa Mexicana: Family-owned Oaxacan restaurant in Brooklyn serving authentic regional Mexican cuisine in a casual setting. Comparable as an independent, founder-driven Latin American restaurant focused on regional authenticity rather than Tex-Mex or pan-Latin offerings.
• La Casita Mexicana: Family-run regional Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles specializing in authentic Mexican cuisine from specific regions. Directly comparable as a single-location, founder-driven ethnic restaurant leveraging cultural authenticity and family heritage as core differentiation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cafekacao
• Facebookfacebook.com/cafekacao
• Instagraminstagram.com/cafekacao
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cafe-kacao

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Kacao