CLEVELAND — The restaurant industry is exploding with new business despite the pandemic still ongoing.
“You see that across the board, the country, probably the world,” said Brandon Chrostowski, Edwins Too founder. “Everyone's just exploding with enthusiasm, right; with hunger. They're sick of you know eating their own food for so long and most importantly, they want to be a part of something. They want to be in a hospitable environment with community."
However, the demand can be challenging to keep up with. If you ask owners how it's going some will say they're struggling to find good cooks and kitchen leaders.
But that won’t be the case if you ask Chrostowski.
“There's a lack of businesses willing to show someone up that ladder to become the chef or become the owner that they dreamed to be. That's where the true crisis is. It's in company cultures,” he said. “I would just flip the tables on employers and say, you know, what are you doing to promote someone up that corporate ladder?”
Now his team is stepping help to change that with Edwins Too, which opened last year.
The space has transformed into an incubator restaurant business. The idea is to provide pop-up opportunities for aspiring chefs and entrepreneurs to try out recipes and get help with their own business ventures.
“This is the place where you can take that chance with a strong support system and do it and make your dream a reality,” Chrostowski explained. “We're as hands-on as someone would want us to be or is hands-off and someone would like us to be. Whether that's helping with finances or closing things out with its recipe ideas, process and procedures, when you're giant or canning something, that's what we're here for.”
Customers can view the list of aspiring chefs, their schedules showing when they’ll be at Edwins and their menus online.
Edwins will still serve brunch on set days.
To sign up for help or to claim your spot at Edwins Too, call the restaurant to start the application process.
