By Maria Cook
Local restaurateur and president of CC Holdings Inc. Kim Hendren recently purchased Zing Café in Carmel. Hendren made the purchase in April from local entrepreneurs David and Sherri Klain.
CC Holdings is a restaurant group that operates 28 food and beverage shops in Indianapolis, Louisville and Cincinnati. Some of its brands include Copper Moon Coffee, Au Bon Pain and Nature’s Table. CC Holdings specializes in operating restaurants in nontraditional settings, such as airports and hospitals. Its restaurants tend to feature fast, healthy food options.
Hendren started CC Holdings in 1992, operating a coffee bar inside St. Vincent Carmel Hospital.
“My initial draw was really to the coffee side of things,” Hendren said. “We had moved to Seattle and the coffee boom was going on out there. When we moved back to Indiana in 1992, we realized there was no place to get a cappuccino. That’s how it got started.”
Zing Café is in Hendren’s neighborhood in The Village of WestClay in Carmel. The close proximity was one reason she decided to purchase it.
“It was very important to the previous owner that whoever bought it was going to make sure that it continued to be good for the neighborhood,” she said.
Zing Café specializes in espressos, smoothies and healthy breakfast and lunch options. Hendren said she intends to add new menu items, such as acai bowls, protein bowls and juices.
“We listen to our guests and our team members who are on the front lines talking to our guests,” she said. “Across the board, our guests seek things that are healthy, quick, portable and fit their lifestyle. I think we do a good job of responding to that.”
