Hutchinson, Kan., Sept. 21, 2020- StartUp Hutch, Reno County’s hub for entrepreneurship, announced a $7,000 loan to Gina Emel, owner of Traveling Bowl. The restaurant, which primarily operated as a food truck, is expanding their service to offer meals at their new permanent location at 2221 N. Lorraine in Hutchinson.
The loan will help with expenses of the new equipment needed for the business’ expansion, including the furnishing of a larger kitchen.
“We regularly run out of food,” said Emel. “It’s a great problem to have, but we’re also leaving money on the table when we don’t have the capacity to serve everyone who would buy from us. The new kitchen and equipment will really help us grow.”
Along with the new location comes the addition of two new employees (one full time and one part time), more seating for diners, and the addition of a drive through window. Traveling Bowl also plans to keep their food truck to serve customers their homestyle cuisine at special events around the area.
“In times of economic distress, there are still opportunities for job growth for people who are creative and willing to innovate,” said Jackson Swearer, Entrepreneur Navigator and Program Director for StartUp Hutch. “Traveling Bowl is a great example of a small business making strides for sustained success and our organization was happy to help with funding.”
For more information on StartUp Hutch’s loan opportunities, or to find a way to plug in to Reno County’s network of entrepreneurs, visit www.StartUpHutch.com or contact Jackson Swearer, 620-474-6098, jackson@startuphutch.com.