Clarece and Gerald Richardson, owners of Rich Taste Catering are the guiding force for the new Startup Grounds Coffee Cafe. Clarece, an Air Force veteran, handles the administrative side of the business, while Gerald handles the kitchen side, with a team of cooks. They’ve had their catering office at the Arcade for about 7 months and when management put out an RFP for someone to run the coffee shop, the Richardsons applied.
The idea was sparked last winter after they participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program through Sinclair College. The program encouraged entrepreneurs to create a growth opportunity for their business, so the couple who’s catering business was booming, identified a desire to grow the wholesale part of their food business. They started selling sandwiches and salads at the Gem City Market, providing 400-500 items per week. So the Arcade Cafe seemed like a natural fit.
This is the first retail store in the newly renovated Arcade. Rich Taste will be selling coffee, muffins and grab and go salads, sandwiches as well as featuring items from minority and women owned businesses like cookies from The Cookieologist, vegan chocolate chip cookies from Bless Me Sweets, cupcakes from Twist Cupcakery and coffee from NameSake Coffee. Clarece looks forward to the opportunity to find new vendor to showcase and mentor into how to grow their businesses.
Startup Grounds also has a unique partnership with the University of Dayton’s student-run Flyer Enterprises. “While customers won’t see the back-office support we’ll provide to Startup Grounds, the business can’t function without a solid accounting and marketing strategy. This involvement gives us great experience while helping Flyer Enterprises meet our goals of connecting more with the greater Dayton community and building relationships with underrepresented vendors who might be interested in partnering with some of our on-campus operations in the future,” says Carolyn Haney, Flyer Enterprises CEO.
Although their official Grand Opening isn’t until next week, they’ve opened the gates and encourage folks to come see the space, buy a delicious treat and get a head start on determining your favorite drink.
StartUp Grounds
31 South Main Street
Dayton, OH 45403
Hours:
7 am – 2 p.m. Monday through Friday
Coming soon – Curbside Service 7 – 8:30am
