Food Ed

Do You Want to Start a Food Business? Let Us Help!

Success in opening a restaurant or food business doesn’t just depend on the taste of your food.

Mid-Continent Public Library’s Square One Small Business Services is here to help you understand the fundamentals of starting a food business—from financing your idea to marketing your new brand—so you can start serving your food to Kansas City.

How Square One Can Help You

Free classes and workshops taught by successful, local food business owners and industry experts.
Free resources to help with everything from writing a business plan to advertising on Facebook.
One-on-one assistance from the Square One Business Services team.

Get Started with Food Business Education

The Food Business Education programs are broken into three tracks to better suit customer’s needs.

Restaurants: Always dreamed of opening a restaurant but don’t know where to start? These programs are designed to help you with the business and numbers side of restaurant ownership.

Food Products: Make a food product that you’d love to see in grocery stores or online? This program series is designed to help you navigate grocery stores and regulations.

Food Trucks: Want to sell your cuisine from a mobile food truck? These programs are designed to give you the information and tools to get started on the right path.

To RSVP for an upcoming FoodEd class go to our Events page.

learn more / apply

Want to take your food product business to the next level?

Apply for the Food Manufacturing School! In this hands-on training series, we’ll cover product regulation, sales, logistics, HR, marketing, and branding. The class culminates in a pitching session featuring local stores and distributors. You’ll also have one-on-one time with industry leading experts, and receive an individualized session in the on-site kitchen to review the most efficient preparation processes for your product. The Food Manufacturing School is a competitive program, and an application does not guarantee participation. Applications are due by March 8th, 2020.

Building a Solid Foundation for Opening a Restaurant

In this introductory class, you’ll start with the basics of regulations, marketing, and finances.

Your Next Steps to Restaurant Ownership

Learn the importance of a business plan and how to make your restaurant idea work.

Accounting Basics for Restaurants

Get the tools to manage your restaurant’s financial plans, budgeting, taxes, and cash flow.

10 Steps to Selling Your Food Product in Stores

Find out how to get your product onto shelves and keep up with regulations and demand.

Facebook Advertising for Small Businesses

In this in-depth workshop, learn the basics of creating and operating a Facebook business page.

Facebook Advertising: Using Video

Take your Facebook advertising to the next level by learning the best ways to use video online.

Food Truck Workshop

Get a complete business overview on everything from regulations to truck design in this six-hour workshop.

The Business of Food Trucks: Ask the Experts

Hear business advice and perspectives from a panel of local, successful food truck owners.

Accounting Basics for Food Trucks

Learn the best ways to manage your food truck’s financial plans, budgeting, taxes, and cash flow.

Connecting You with the Experts

At Square One Small Business Services, we ask local business owners and industry experts to develop and lead our programs. When you take a food education class or workshop, you gain access to the experience and perspective of those operating in the same Kansas City industries you plan to join. You’ll learn more than business theories. You’ll leave with practical, hands-on knowledge that you can apply to start or grow your own restaurant, food truck, or food business.

Meet the Instructors

Alexander (Xander) Winkel, Ennovation Center

Xander works as an Entrepreneurship Enabler at the Ennovation Center in Independence, Mo., where he helps local start-ups get their business dreams off the ground. His specialties include ideation, marketing, financing and regulations for restaurants, and food trucks and food products.

Jay Runnfeldt, JCB Projects

Jay is the owner of his own restaurant-consulting firm, JCB Projects. With 25+ years of experience owning and operating different restaurant and bar concepts, he helps others evaluate their food business concepts and develop strategies to make them a success.

Kim Niebaum, CoffeeCakeKC

Kim is the owner of CoffeeCakeKC, a food truck and “coffee shop on wheels” in Kansas City. She helps aspiring restaurant and food truck owners tackle the financial planning of funding, budgeting, and maintaining the cash flow of a growing food business.

Hanna Taylor, Mid-Continent Public Library

Hanna is a Square One Business Specialist with an MBA from Columbia College. With a passion for helping start-ups, she connects entrepreneurs to local resources and guides them through the basics of using social media and digital marketing to grow.

One-on-One Business Help

Don’t let your food business dreams overwhelm you. We offer free one-on-one consultations with our dedicated business librarians and specialists to get you started. Our team can help you access and use the free tools to start a successful food business.

How to Set Up Your One-on-One Consultation

To set up an appointment with a Square One librarian or business specialist at an MCPL branch or another convenient location, email us at squareone@mymcpl.org. Before our meeting, we’ll ask for some preliminary info and then tailor our meeting to your business’s exact needs.

Stay connected to view upcoming food education programs and events

Online Learning

In addition to programs, the Library offers a wide variety of free online learning tools and digital resources. No matter what type of food business you’re launching, you can benefit from access to hundreds of free resources to learn more about business planning, digital marketing, market research, and more. If you have a Mid-Continent Public Library Access Pass (Library card), you can get started today.

To apply for and start using your Library card today, visit mymcpl.org/newcard or visit any MCPL branch.