Amanda Demascio opened Our Place Cafe in Woodlake in late 2022. Photo by Ben Hensley

When a solo entrepreneur embarks on their first business venture, they can find themselves burdened by a number of issues — finances, branding and marketing among them.

In a smaller town, it’s no easier.

Amanda Demascio is facing those issues head-on with confidence, experience and hope that a regular tourist season will bring improved customer numbers — and profits — to her place.

In late 2022, Demascio opened Our Place Cafe at 250 E. Antelope Ave. in Woodlake. Aiming to capitalize on the region’s robust tourism industry on the gateway to Sequoia National Park, Demascio invested her life savings and more, betting on nearly 20 years of restaurant industry experience to open the cafe.

Demascio, who grew up in Southern California, moved to Visalia when she turned 18 and worked at a number of Visalia restaurants and businesses including Chili’s, Red Lobster and the Visalia Country Club.

In 2022, however, she had grown tired of ever-changing and toxic work environments and decided to open her own restaurant.

Starting from scratch, Demascio took out business and personal loans, and even sold cars and personal items, to finance the business.

“Once I found a building to rent I had to completely remodel it on the inside,” she said. “A full remodel on it took about three or four months once I got the keys to open.”

Unfortunately for Demascio, the restaurant opened just in time for the spring 2023 tourism season — a year that saw major disruptions to tourism related to flooding.

Demascio, however, pressed on, and continued to cater to locals and regulars — approximately 75% of her customer base.

Demascio said that regulars from Visalia, Tulare, Ivanhoe and Porterville frequent the restaurant, enjoying its friendly atmosphere, good food and convenient space, located a five-minute drive away from Highway 198 on the way to Sequoia, to the east, Porterville to the south and Visalia to the west.

“I named it ‘Our Place’ because I wanted people to say, when they would go eat, that they were coming to Our Place – like it’s their home away from home,” she said. “Since it’s such a small town, people will come in and see friends and see people they know.”

The cafe features American cuisine, with nearly everything on the menu being made from scratch. Recently, the restaurant acquired its liquor license, authorizing the sale of beer and wine.

The restaurant is large enough to accommodate larger parties and groups, as well as quieter space in an adjacent room for a more intimate setting.

With 2024 proving to be a bit drier than 2023, Demascio hopes the tourism season sees a rebound, with nearby Sequoia National Park open for the season and local infrastructure rebounding from local flooding.

“It’s a great stop on their way to the Sequoias,” she said. “It’s a slight detour but not by much – it’s about a five-minute detour off the highway – it’s a great little place to stop and take a breakfast or lunch break on the way up to the mountains or dinner on the way back.”