Twenty New Jersey and New York City-area restaurant owners celebrated their successful completion of DoorDash’s Accelerator for Local Restaurants, a program designed to help level the playing field for entrepreneurs and increase access to opportunity for small businesses.
The restaurant owners gathered at Hudson Community College and were joined by representatives from DoorDash, Accion Opportunity Fund, DeliverZero, the Five-Borough Chamber Alliance and the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey to celebrate their achievements.
Over the course of the eight-week program, each cohort participant received a $10,000 grant, training and education, one-on-one customized business advising, as well as the opportunity to connect with other local restaurant owners.
The intensive curriculum covered topics such as marketing, access to capital, managing cash flow and menu creation, and featured local experts. This year, DoorDash also partnered with DeliverZero to provide free environmentally friendly, reusable packaging to participating restaurants.
The 20 New Jersey and New York City participating restaurant owners include:
- Café Metro
- Caridad Restaurant
- Casa Cubana
- Cavany Foods
- Cliffs Cafe
- Da Claudio
- L’arte della Pizza Brooklyn
- Lakou Cafe
- Lighthouse
- Little Chef Little Cafe
- Mad Juicy
- Mi Lindo Ecuador
- Mr Mista Oh LLC
- Multisweet LIC
- Neguess Creole Restaurant
- RINCON SALVADOREÑO
- Someday Bar
- SQ Pizza
- thecradlenyc llc
- Ungaro Coal Fired Pizza Cafe
Created in partnership with Accion Opportunity Fund, the Accelerator for Local Restaurants is a key part of DoorDash’s broader commitment to support local businesses, especially those owned by women, immigrants and people of color. To date, over 1,000 businesses have completed the accelerator’s free online courses, and more than 150 restaurant owners located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Portland have completed the Accelerator for Local Restaurants.