New restaurant incubator program unveiled in San Antonio

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Café Commerce, located at the downtown library at 600 Soledad St., is a one-stop shop where entrepreneurs and small-business owners can go to get information, resources, market data and guidance to start and maintain their business.

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Mike W. Thomas

Reporter- San Antonio Business Journal

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Break Fast and Launch, the new business incubator created by Café Commerce, got a warm welcome from local entrepreneurs on Oct. 29 at its 1 Million Cups presentation.

The business accelerator program recived a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration eariler this year as part of the first Growth Accelerator Fund competition and is now accepting applications from groups interested in starting a restaurant or food truck venture.

Peter French, director of Café Commerce, said similar to the TechStars program for technology startups, applicants will be carefully screened to find those most committed and capable of launching a successful restaurant venture.

Participants will be provided with training and mentoring through a peer-to-peer network of local experts and veteran entrepreneurs. They will work closely with Bake, Broil & Brew, a local business venture that provides commercial kitchen space and business tools for culinary entrepreneurs. David Solis, who helped launch Bake, Broil & Brew three years ago with his wife Michelle, was on hand to talk about the growth of that venture. Located at 1508 Guadalupe St. in West San Antonio, it features three commercial kitchens that are available for rent on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly basis inside a 2,604-square-foot building.

For more information go to cafecommercesa.org.

Mike W. Thomas covers technology/telecom, military, finance, regulatory issues as well as nonprofits/education.