Steve Gonzales was a seasoned veteran of the restaurant business. He had worked as a waiter, a bartender, a manager and all jobs in between before he embarked on starting a restaurant concept of his own. Steve had served as the general manager for a local restaurant that served breakfast and lunch, and he dreamed of opening something similar that would afford him more time to spend with his family.

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Steve approached the SBDC about putting together a business plan for a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Lubbock, Texas. He dubbed the restaurant The Farmhouse to emphasize the fresh, made from scratch recipes that he knew would win favor with local restaurant goers.

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On his first attempt to get a bank loan, he was turned down by the bank due to a lack of equity. Steve enlisted an investor and returned to the SBDC to work on his business plan. With the help of the SBDC, Steve was able to fine tune his numbers and submit a business plan that met with the bank’s approval. When approached about a second location, Steve came back to the SBDC to prepare another set of financials for the bank. Steve was able to secure the loan and now he has two locations for what has become one of the more popular breakfast/lunch venues in Lubbock, Texas.