‘It has been insane’: Elle’s Café serves up fame thanks to viral videos

A Regina café is drawing attention far beyond Saskatchewan, thanks to a series of playful videos online that have helped turn it into a local and national talking point.

A Regina café is drawing attention far beyond Saskatchewan, thanks to a series of playful videos online that have helped turn it into a local and national talking point. Owner Elle Grzeda said the response has been overwhelming, with visitors coming from across Canada and even farther away to see the small business for themselves. “It has been insane,” Grzeda said.

“The response we have gotten from people all over the world. It’s just insane how many people are even making the trip to come to Regina just to see this little café.” Elle’s growing online presence also caught the attention of Tourism Regina, which featured the café in a recent video highlighting Cathedral Village. “Cathedral is probably the most unique neighbourhood in Regina,” said Jennifer Johnson, deputy city manager.

“We really wanted characters to showcase that, so Elle was a natural fit for us. Her café is unique, she’s unique, she’s super fun on social media. And we just really wanted to showcase that vibrancy.”

The café’s videos have also made their way south of the border. Travis Briggs, owner of Countertop Creamery in Rochester, N.Y., said Elle’s posts appeared on his Instagram feed and made an impression. “They basically just came across my Instagram feed,” Briggs stated.

“I thought it was pretty funny. It’s certainly a place that we would consider visiting in the future because of seeing those videos.” Briggs even tried to recreate one of Elle’s cartwheel-style videos with an ice cream cone in hand.

Regina Mayor Chad Bachynski also recently joined in on the fun. For Grzeda, the attention has been a welcome surprise, but she says the support from customers has meant the most. “Literally give a shout out to our customers for being amazing and for just supporting us through all of this too,” she said.

One local customer said the café’s online buzz came up naturally during their visit. “We were actually just talking about some of her videos and how they’ve kind have gotten so many views on them just as we were sitting down over here,” she said. Elle’s Café’s growing popularity shows how a local business can reach new audiences far beyond its neighbourhood, while still staying rooted in the community that helped it grow.