Akita Gourmet
“The SBDC has helped guide me from a man with an idea, to a food truck owner, to now have a restaurant. [My Advisor) has always encouraged and helped me see that my dreams were achievable with consistency and goals.”
The SBDC was able to help the owner of a food truck grow his business and transition into a storefront.
Challenge
Alberto Lopez started out his business with one food truck while still working nights at a sushi restaurant in downtown San Jose. His goal was to have a storefront. He came to the SBDC for help in constructing a plan that would help him achieve his goal.
Gameplan
An SBDC advisor worked with Alberto to grow from one to three food trucks, and from there, to a shared storefront. Upon achieving his goal, the pandemic hit and the storefront sales completely stopped. His food trucks primarily served tech companies, but with the Shelter in Place order, everyone was working from home, and there were no longer workers to serve. Through guidance and support from the SBDC team, Alberto was able to attain $150,000 in disaster funding and retain eight employees.
Results
In the midst of this pandemic he also came up on the opportunity to have his own independent store front, across from Santa Clara University. Given that his sales were so low at the food truck this was an opportunity to try a different market with a consistent storefront. He now has consistent sales through food delivery apps and picks up from students living in the area.
