“With microgrants and more, DishRoulette Kitchen is helping Chicago restaurants survive — and thrive — during COVID-19.”
DishRoulette Kitchen (DRK) is a small business development center, dedicated to addressing economic inequality by empowering food and beverage entrepreneurs in historically under-resourced communities.
Our mission is to provide holistic support in navigating the small business ecosystem through strategic consulting, funding, and educational resources.
At DRK, we envision a world where all entrepreneurs, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to thrive. We are committed to transforming an economic system that has long excluded diverse entrepreneurs, combating disinvestment, and ensuring everyone has access to the social and material resources needed to succeed.
Founded in May 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched the DRK $1K Grant campaign as a response to the hardships faced by the restaurant industry due to closures and the barriers to accessing relief funds.
During that critical time we understood that nothing was more valuable to restaurants than simple monetary relief (63% of our applicants expected to go out of business within the next year following the pandemic). These grants were vital to keeping restaurants running, most of which were women- and minority-owned businesses left behind by ineligibility to Federal and State economic relief programs such as PPP and EIDL. This was largely because they lacked a full understanding of the complex bureaucratic process required to secure a loan, highlighting the crucial role organizations like DRK play in bridging this divide.
Though pandemic restrictions have long ago been lifted, our grant giving program continues to provide capital investment to women and BIPOC food entrepreneurs.
As we analyzed the data collected from the grant application and started connecting with some of the applicants, we realized that these entrepreneurs needed more than just capital, they needed technical assistance to navigate relief programs in a quickly changing landscape as dining restrictions shifted constantly. As a response to these needs we pioneered a data-driven, food and beverage incubator program, the DRK Growth Program, designed to help these entrepreneurs not just survive the pandemic, but also grow and succeed as restrictions were lifted. The program has expanded over time to serve not just DRK grantees but any food and beverage entrepreneur with a focus on women and BIPOC entrepreneurs from underserved communities.
With our proprietary curriculum as the foundation, our programs lead with business modeling specifically focusing on two core financial concepts: bootstrapping and unit-economics.
Our understanding of current socioeconomic conditions directed us to place priority over concepts that address the underlying factors that contribute to those conditions. Bootstrapping, the idea of creating and growing a business with limited resources and little to no startup capital, paired with unit-economics, the idea of modeling a business unit-by-unit or customer-by-customer, plays directly into the need for more innovative business resources in our impact areas. Our curriculum takes these concepts and delivers an entrepreneurial program comprising four core business topics: Accounting & Tax, Branding & Marketing, Legal & Regulatory Compliance, Operations & Training.
Our teaching methods include one-on-one coaching, professional consulting services, dynamic workshops, and networking events.
Coaching and professional consulting services are offered during weekly office hours or by appointment, and are an opportunity for an entrepreneur to get tailored assistance for their specific needs. Workshops are hosted by our staff and by industry experts and professionals we partner with and cover a wide array of general business and industry specific topics. We also partner with corporate and community partners to host culturally relevant networking events that provide exposure to business connections and corporate partners that offer paid opportunities for food and beverage entrepreneurs.
“I think of them as an organization that is trying to use their resources to empower BIPOC-led businesses but also engage in social change in the neighborhoods these businesses are situated. What is unique is in addition to providing funding, their theory change – the hidden curriculum of entrepreneurship that allows people to navigate – which usually is restricted to more resourced and well-connected groups.”
-Assistant Professor at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University
Community of Entrepreneurs
Explore the small businesses transforming their communities with the support of DishRoulette Kitchen Programs.
Each of these businesses represents the spirit of entrepreneurship and community resilience, showcasing local talent and innovation.
From restaurants to retail, these ventures are a testament to the impact of investing in under-resourced entrepreneurs and fostering sustainable growth in our communities.
Our Supporters + Partners
“There needs to be drastic change to the way restaurants are conceptualized. Beginning with their business model, which is essentially their menu.”