I recently attended an event at one of the metro’s newest coworking coffee shops, Blue Bean in Ankeny, and met its owner, Carlos Rojas. The ultra-cool space, which opened in February, completely reimagined what had been the previous location for Palmer’s Deli in Ankeny. Rojas previously worked in design and innovation roles for several financial services companies in Greater Des Moines before deciding to launch a venue that would support small and medium-sized businesses with an eclectic mix of meeting spaces, coffee and Wi-Fi. True to his philosophy of constant improvement, he’s always soliciting feedback from clients. Case in point: He recently converted a small corner space that had been his office into a podcasting studio after several entrepreneurs commented that it would be a great amenity to add. Some folks who had gotten into the habit of eating at Palmer’s, however, were a little slow in getting the message that Palmer’s had moved out. One day, an elderly couple walked in arm-in-arm at lunchtime, Rojas recalled, and, glancing up at the coffee board, asked, “Where are the salads?” As Rojas told the story, they were pretty adamant about getting their salads, as there was no convincing them they weren’t at Palmer’s. So I guess we’ll see whether salads make their way onto Blue Bean’s menu.