Filet mignon and prawns
JENNIFER & TODD’S CAFÉ SOLEIL:
A Modern-Day Success Story!
Who would have dreamed that a sixteen-year-old girl who
arrived on a Greyhound Bus from Reno, Nevada, would one
day own and operate one of the busiest local restaurants and
catering businesses in the Bay Area? When Jennifer Arrouzet,
co-owner of Jennifer and Todd’s Café Soleil in El Sobrante.
shared her story, I was amazed and inspired by her drive and
determination that evolved to make Café Soleil the successful
business it is today.
Soon after she arrived from Reno, Jennifer secured a job
as a server at J Winfield’s in San Pablo. She had never worked
as a server but took it upon herself to learn the menu to prove
to the owner that she could do the job. When J Winfield’s
closed, she continued as a server at Denny’s restaurant. When
she was 18, one of her regular customers told her about a
small restaurant space on San Pablo Avenue that had recently
30 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM JULY 2018
By Vickie Lewis
become available and suggested that Jennifer buy it and open
her own restaurant. She decided to take a chance to make it
on her own and partnered with a friend to make the required
$8,000 investment to open Jennifer’s Café. The café served only
breakfast and lunch, and the menu was limited to items that
Jennifer knew to be popular from her previous serving jobs. She
initially ran the café all by herself—she shopped, cooked, served,
cleaned, and did the accounting--with no previous experience
other than having been a server. One of her café customers,
Todd Arrouzet, worked for Lucky’s Supermarket where Jennifer
sometimes shopped for supplies. After numerous encounters,
they eventually started dating. Todd told Jennifer that he’d
always wanted to own his own restaurant. In 1992, he got his
wish--the couple partnered and together ran Jennifer’s Café for
the next 6 years.
RESTAURANT REVIEW
3550 San Pablo Dam Road, Space O, El Sobrante | (510) 758-6134 | Catering: (510) 205-3936 | cafe-soleil.com