Fine-Dining Restaurant, Warehouse, and Market Café: Can Coquine Do It All? Adapting a Business Model During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Case number : 9 40 2026 006
Case published in the International Journal of Case Studies in Management, Vol. 24, No. 3
Date :  2026-09-14
Teaching notes included :  Yes
Abstract

This case examines the strategic pivots made by Coquine, a high-end restaurant owned by chef Katy Millard and her partner, Ksandek Podbielski, in Portland, Oregon, USA. When indoor dining was shut down in March 2020, Coquine swiftly transitioned from a traditional fine-dining model to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) and virtual marketplace model. The case details the rapid development of this program and its subsequent expansion into a physical market café. It also covers the eventual reopening of in-person dining with a more sustainable prix fixe structure. It provides valuable insights into crisis management, business model innovation, and the importance of maintaining core values in the face of adversity.

Teaching objectives
  • Understand how managers balance profit goals, employee well-being, customer expectations, and personal values.
  • Examine how businesses anticipate, respond to, and recover from external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Explore how organizations maintain trust and loyalty among stakeholders (employees, suppliers, customers, and community) during major business model shifts.
  • Explore work-life balance and managerial burnout.
  • Explore ethical trade-offs in responsible business practices.
  • Examine organizational culture as a source of long-term sustainability.
Primary domain :  Management
Secondary domain :  Marketing
Sectors :  Accommodation and Food Services
Type :  Traditional case (Descriptive or analytical case)
Event location :  USA
Year of start of the event :  2015
Year the event ended :  2022
Business size :  Small- and medium-sized