Easy Otter looks to raise $75K for equipment at new south Salem restaurant
Following a sudden closure in September, Easy Otter is back. The Southern-style restaurant is returning with the opening of a brick and mortar location, but in the meantime it is running a fundraising campaign for new equipment. Price tag? $75,000.
Owner Lindsay Pilapil said her new space will be in south Salem's brewery district, nestled between Manila Fiesta and Black Sheep Cafe. The location was formerly A&M Sweets, a wholesale baking company.
Unbeknownst to Pilapil, she would need a lot of new and expensive equipment to make the restaurant of her dreams.
Since its inception, Easy Otter has been run solely by Pilapil. Hiring help was not really an option because she couldn't afford it, she said. Now, she's hoping the community is able to support her in fundraising for the equipment for her new space.
Free diving into uncertainty
When she made the decision to sell her food truck, Pilapil didn't have a brick and mortar location lined up yet. She had asked a realtor to let her know if any prospective properties came up, but it was actually a longtime regular that had a lead for her. She was then connected with some property owners who got her into the space.
She calls it kismet the situation and timing worked out for her in finding a new spot.
But the space ended up lacking a lot more equipment than she realized. When she was getting quotes on appliances she needed, she was told she'd need a brand new exhaust hood and fire suppression system that would cost $50,000.
Shocked, she said she didn't anticipate the steep prices for appliances. Prior to this, she was not planning on fundraising. But $50,000 was far beyond what she could come up with herself. She prided herself on not needing to ask for money, large advertising campaigns or outside help for anything relating to her business. This time she had to ask for support.
She began a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo, a fundraising site, with the goal of $75,000. The bulk of it would go toward the hood and fire suppression system but also cover other appliances and equipment, including refrigeration, deep fryers, sinks, prep tables, guest tables, chairs, cutlery and more.
A video on her fundraising campaign page shows Pilapil walking around the new space, explaining the situation before a playful, vintage film-style "reenactment" of her finding out the hood system price plays. Pilapil's "younger self" is played by her daughter, Eleanor, while the hood system representative is her son, Miles.
Like most online fundraising campaigns, contributors will receive perks depending on how much they contribute. Contributors who donate $10 get a logo sticker, $30 gets a logo mug and each donation tier offers progressively better incentives. Redeem "beignets for days" if you donate $75, where you can get up to 15 orders of beignets in the future. The biggest perks are tickets to her preview party, which are $500 for two. A private party for 25 in the space with all menu items included is $5,000.
She jokes she hopes a rich person who enjoys beignets will feel generous and donate, but any amount is greatly appreciated, she said. As of Wednesday, the campaign has raised $6,410.
"I'm not going to be able to do this without people's support," Pilapil said. "I've never asked for help and it's always been hard doing everything before by myself. But the whole experience of creating and having this campaign has been the hardest thing ever."
Southern-style in Salem
Southern-style food is not super abundant in Salem, with Noble Wave being the other brick and mortar restaurant in the city. Pilapil chose to make Southern food because it's her favorite. Everyone likes beignets and fried chicken, she said.
Pilapil is from Las Vegas and moved to Salem from the Bay Area just before the pandemic. With no connections or a job lined up, she began Easy Otter as a Saturday market food stall. As her offerings got more popular, she was able to move into a food truck, which she has been working out of for over two years.
She said since she's been open, she's tested more than 150 specials on the weekends.
She plans to make a menu from her staples and the specials that did well.
The name Easy Otter might seem odd, but she's always loved otters. Throughout the years, she's collected various odds and ends that are of or depicting otters to display at her restaurant. She came up with the name many years before Easy Otter was up and running, but it was perfect, she said.
Pilapil said she's loved being a part of the community and the support she's gotten through the years. She hopes people can continue to support her so she can bring back the food they all grew to know her for.
To keep up with updates, follow her Instagram page, @easyotter.
Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Easy Otter fundraising for new equipment at Salem restaurant
