Archive for Restaurants

Lancaster Cast Iron

Lancaster Cast Iron is a Pennsylvania based company that produces skillets, cutting boards, wooden utensils, and other accessories for the pans.  Everything that they sell is made in the United States and strives for quality and perfection.  This company was actually started by two Grove City graduates which makes the whole company better in my opinion.  Mark Longenecker and Brandon Moore started this company in 2018 and it has grown ever since.  These pans are very high quality and the company clearly put a lot of time and thought into the design and production of them.

This company is especially inspirational and interesting since they are both Grove City graduates, fairly young ones at that.  You would not immediately think of cast iron pans when you think of something that you could innovate.  Cast iron pans have basically stayed the same forever.  I think it is very interesting how Mark and Brandon saw issues with the basic cast iron pans and decided to improve them.  The co-founders seem very motivated by slowing down to embrace the little parts of life and getting the little details perfect.  My grandparents have some of their pans and utensils and love them.  Not only did they like the first few items the purchased, but they were repeat customers with not complaints.

https://lancastercastiron.com/

Sprout and Lentil: The business which expanded during the pandemic  

        Sprout and Lentil is the only mom-and-pop vegan cafe on Aquidneck Island. Founded in 2019 by the husband and wife team of Carmen Foy and Matt Sole, Sprout and Lentil has grown from being a booth at a farmers’ market to having its own independent retail business located in the center of Middletown, RI. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Foy – who was born in Spain – trained at the Cordon Bleu in France and then worked for twelve years as a chef aboard yachts. 

     Foy and Sole have stayed true to their business mantra of “Food with a Mission” by serving only plant-based foods. For instance, Foy ordered granola and then returned it to the producer it contained honey. She and her husband are dedicated to a purely vegan business. Additionally, the owners have created a special niche serving their community for people who are vegan, vegetarians, and kosher. Foy and Sole know their target customers very well and have seen that there is a high demand for quality vegan products. Some may ask, “Who would ever want to pay for a $16 burger?” or “Why isn’t the 50 cent spicy ketchup included with my fries?” Without doubt, the prices are high and sauces are not included with fries, burgers, nor cauliflower nuggets. A gourmet truffle oil dressing retails for eleven dollars. Perhaps it is hard to believe here in western Pennsylvania, but their local customers – hard core vegan regulars, and tourists – do buy and enjoy the expensive truffle oil dressing as well as the $16 burgers. The customers believe that the high prices are worth the money for what they receive. Foy and Sole have created a demand for specialty vegan food.

Please take a look at Sprout and Lentil’s website:

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Omari McQueen: the 12 year old author, chef, and CEO


12-year-old award-winning Omari McQueen is making history and inspiring millions with his thriving vegan food brand, Dipalicious.

After his mother became sick, Omari McQueen, at the young age of 7, began cooking for his family. This was the beginning of a passion and love for cooking. One year later, McQueen, at age 8, went vegan after learning how animals were treated for food and clothing. He found that veganism could help his mother and began to cook vegan recipes for her. McQueen’s passion of vegan food soon led to the start of his YouTube channel, Omari Goes Wild, in 2017 where he posted vegan cooking videos. This same year, he founded Dipalicious, a food brand that offers vegan Caribbean fare. His main purpose with the company was to create great tasting food without putting animals in danger. McQueen says, “The thing that inspired my recipes is bringing people together with good food without harming animals”

Omari McQueen’s dedication to his craft did not end there. In the summer of 2017, Boxpark’s CEO Roger Wade invited and financial supported the young entrepreneur to host a weeklong pop-up at Boxparks’ Croyden location. McQueen also went on to write his very own vegan cookbook, Omari McQueen’s Best Bites Cookbook– another “dream come true” for the young chef. “I’ve achieved a goal as I’ve got dyslexia I found it hard spelling stuff out and reading things,” he says. “But I wrote the whole thing and got it done and I’m so proud of myself. I’m bringing people together with good food without harming animals with that book, with easy-to-make recipes in there, and my favorite recipes.”

All of McQueen’s hard work and dedication over the past few years have truly paid off. He has earned himself the title of the youngest award winning vegan chef in the UK. In addition, McQueen has gone on to receive several awards such as the TruLittle Award, the Compassionate Kids Award, and the Proud and Gifted Award.

Omari’s drive is an inspiration for all. He is a true encouragement to the many young entrepreneurs looking to start a business of their own.

 

Gus’s Ice Cream Boat

Gus Schoenbucher at the age of 14 has a licensed food business, it’s not like most food businesses though. This one is on a boat where he drives around his local lake selling ice cream, hotdogs, and drinks. The company is called “Gus’s Eats & Treats”, he originally got the idea from his father who would do the same thing when he was younger. With this idea, Gus started using the same boat his father used which was 40 years old. After seeing how much revenue he brought in he decided to get a new boat and to get a license for the business. He would soon gain attention from bigger corporations and is now getting his donuts provided by Krispy Kreme.

Even though Gus’s idea originated from his father he found a market in his area that nobody else was trying to profit off of. Gus lives near a state park that has a huge lake where many people go fishing and relax on the water. While many people try to plan to bring things when they are spending the day on the water Gus thought it would be nice for them to have a little treat or in case they run out of  water he can be there. Not many people have thought to sell things off a boat on a lake. Gus is inspiring because we see that he is willing at a young age to try and create a business from his surroundings that nobody has made.

The Bagel Rebellion

Milena Pagan is a self-proclaimed “corporate-retail-strategist-turned-bagel-maker.” Pagan was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Massachusetts to get her degree at MIT. Milena Pagan graduated from MIT with a degree in chemical engineering, followed by a job with CVS Health as an Omnichannel Strategist, but after several years she needed to share her passion for homemade bagels after finding it hard to get New York style  bagels that she really enjoyed. Pagan experimented for several months to create the perfect recipe, then quit her job at CVS and launched Rebelle Artisan Bagels.

Milena Pagan is an incredibly determined person. She identified a problem, and found a way to profit and satisfy that need. Pagan held pop-up shops and promoted her bagels to everyone she could. She has found a way to put a twist on handmade, New York style bagels that differentiates herself from the rest of bagel makers in Providence, Rhode Island. Her success with a Kickstarter campaign granted Rebelle Bagels to pursue a storefront in Providence and they were able to open  their doors in the summer of 2017.

Milena Pagan earned a Entrepreneur of the Year Award New England recently and she deserved it. She has done an amazing job pursing a goal and has achieved great success.  Melina has shown her perseverance and resilience in times of challenge. During COVID she and Rebelle had to be incredibly flexible in order to continue pr0viding customers with the value and quality they were accustomed to.

Customers rave about the fun and interesting flavors that Rebelle Bagels creates on a daily basis. These unexpected flavors are not limited to just bagels, they extend to their very own line of cream cheese, lox, and lunch items.

Located in Providence, Rhode Island, Rebelle Bagels hand make their bagels, cream cheese and lox daily. They experiment with flavors and offer lots of vegan options.

 

Mealshare- A Company Making An Impact

Image result for Andrew Hall and Jeremy Bryant mealshareIn 2013, cousins Andrew Hall and Jeremy Bryant aspired to create a business based on a simple idea: help restaurants donate meals to the people who need it most.

That’s how they created Mealshare, a company that allows restaurants to put the Mealshare logo next to dishes on their menus, and commit to donating towards providing a meal to a person in need in the for every dish purchased. For every dish purchased, one is donated to a a person in need, using a buy one get one model.

The company is based out of Canada and present in the United States, where they have provided 3,326,107 meals to people in need. They make an impact both locally and internationally, with half of their meals being donated throughout the world partnering with WE Charities. Mealshare goes beyond only providing meals though, their partners provide shelter, education, counseling and/or opportunities for youth in need to access life-changing services. They also partner with the Central Texas Food Bank to reach out locally in the United States.

They have partnered with restaurants such as Original Joes, a Canadian restaurant chain in 63 locations, and many smaller local restaurants.

History Made in a Hut

Young entrepreneurs are not exclusive to our modern era- young people have been breaking ground throughout history. The founders of Pizza Hut are a great example from the 20th century. When Frank and Dan Carney were in their twenties, they started the first restaurant with just a $600 loan from their mother which they used to convert a small bar in Wichita, Kansas into their storefront. These humble beginnings in 1958 quickly took root and Pizza Hut lead the charge in the franchising of restaurants. Within only 10 years they had grown from one store to over 300 locations. By 1970 Pizza Hut was international and in 1977 the Carney brothers sold the company to the powerhouse, PepsiCo.

The success of the Carney brothers was the result of their perceptiveness to the changes in the world around them and their anticipation of the future. As business graduates of Wichita State University, they had a background in the field and had studied the successful fast-food chains. Dan was especially interested in franchising foodservice -something that was not common at that time. So convinced that this was the future of foodservice, Dan attempted to write his master’s thesis on franchising, but his professor would not accept it. Ironically Dan failed to earn his master’s degree because of an idea that revolutionized the world of foodservice for good- his successes can attest to the validity of his views much stronger than any degree.

The first Pizza Hut

These brothers foresaw the future of fast food and used their simple means and education to pizza into the game-a food which is now viewed as a staple in the industry. They did not have the luxury of entrepreneurship classes to learn how to start a franchise, but through careful observation, they were able to find their niche and rupture the market. After selling Pizza Hut both brothers stayed involved in the business world. Dan remained as President and board member for a few more years and has sat on the board of various Kansas branches of charities and businesses. Frank even went on to help in the founding of another popular pizza chain-Papa John’s. The Carney brothers are remarkable examples of resourcefulness, determination, and character as they have used their successes to give back to their community in many ways.

Kidzcationz

Bella Tipping is a 13 year old entrepreneur. She has created a travel website but it is not just any ordinary travel website, it’s Kidzcationz. This website is focused around kids and what they think of their trips. The kids are allowed to rate their experience at hotels, restaurants, and attractions.  They rate based on how well these places support their needs. For example, restaurants are rated in regards to food and drinks, friendly staff, kids entertainment, easy access to toilets, quiet area, quick meals, disability access, and caring staff.  This gives children the opportunity to use their voices and they are able to compare places to what other children their age are doing.

Bella Tipping wants to fight for social change because she wants to live in a world where everyone is included.  Her motto says it all. She says that “if you think it, you can do it.”  I think that this is a great example for young entrepreneurs as the world is changing and expanding constantly as they are growing up.

Kidzcationz

The Budlong

Phil Benner is an entrepreneur involved in more than one business endeavor. In the restaurant business, The Budlong is one of the startups he worked on. The Budlong is a series of hot chicken restaurants that has four locations in the busy city of Chicago. The idea for the Budlong came from Jared Leonard, who tried Nashville fried chicken at a barbecue conference. Realizing how big of a market a city like Chicago could offer for good, hot fried chicken like this, a team brought the idea to life. With the first store opening in 2016, they already have four restaurants in the city. With four levels of spiciness, naked, classic, hot, and x-hot, the delicious (trust me, it’s delicious) chicken appeals to a wide crowd. The good location and great food come together to make this business unique.

Brian Wong

Imagine a world where apps and websites offered prizes instead of pesky advertisements. Well, our sought after technical advances have become a reality once again.

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Brian Wong, a young entrepreneur, tackled this idea at the age of 23. It all began when he started to pay in-depth attention to the people around him and their mobile use habits, especially with application based game play. He then saw the opportunity, stating that  “I remember noticing that there were these achievements that people would be hitting, like leveling up or hitting a high score … but then what struck me was that in those moments of happiness people were actually not being appreciated but rather slapped in the face with a pretty terrible advertisement.” The over all idea in a nutshell is to replace traditional advertisements with prizes after the user has accomplished something in the game. Its brilliant, and an incentive that is way more powerful than random advertisement 95% of users will immediately ignore or even find annoying.

 

Below are some examples of his prize based advertising. Check out his website at www.brianwong.com

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