Help The Cozy Kitchen

Hello! For those who do not know me, my name is Casandra, owner of The Cozy Kitchen. 7 years ago I opened The Cozy Kitchen as a small catering company in Southern California. I had always hoped to grow it into a restaurant space in Orange County, constantly looking for Old Town areas with open lots. Alas, in March of 2020, Covid had other plans. After giving back all my refunds for events that would never happen, I found we had little room for survival. I began a delivery service within The Cozy Kitchen called "Quaran-tv" Dinners, but that barely paid the bills.

I had a decision to make....wait out and try to reopen in a state that was nowhere near reopening...or uproot to a new state closer to family and restructure.

In September of 2020, I signed papers to a brick and mortar in Marietta, Ohio going by only pictures for knowledge of the space. The location was a stone's throw to the Ohio River on a charming brick street, in a historical small community...all the charm I had always searched for, just 2,500 miles away. 2 weeks later I packed up my 38 years of life into 1 car and a 10 sq ft space of a moving truck. I left my entire way of life...my friends...my home... for a dream.

4 weeks later, we opened! My dream was to become a reality! Our first day we made a staggering $107 dollars. What should I expect, we were in the middle of a pandemic. Did I make the right choice? Was this the right time? My entire life savings was riding on a dream.

Flash forward 1 year and 3 months later. The Cozy Kitchen employs 3 wonderful women and is growing to need more. We were nominated for 11 local food and restaurant awards! We source from our local farmers, bakers, and suppliers as much as possible. We sell locally made products and cross promote them within our menu. We are members of multiple local community outreach programs to enrich our area and have been a voice and fundraising spot for charity groups year round. I am proud of what my dream is accomplishing.

With the good however, always comes the hard/bad. In this time, I never took out a loan to help with financial problems. I thought it would pass. In less than 8 months of being open, prices of product increased at an alarming rate. We did not plan for a 20% increase in meat and a 60% increase in packaging. We did not plan on supply shortages and certain products going out of business. Our major suppliers cut most small businesses across the nation and with the grace of God one was willing to save our account and help us....however it came at a price. Our supply ordering minimum was increased and our delivery dates were cut. I had to cut many of our business funds to afford daily operations. I never even took a paycheck. Now that we've hit a point where additional funds are needed, I have found I am ineligable for 99% of them due to length of time open, risk assessment, etc. The main reasoning I am given is because funds are allocated to those who opened PRIOR to the pandemic. Upon the move, it was given a new Federal ID number, therefore the 5 years in California are mute. We are on paper, a 1 year old business. Because of this, I am ineligible for the PPP loans and other relief programs as well. I am putting my pride aside and against everything in myself, I am asking for help. I have learned it is ok to ask, the worst that can happen is you are told no. I will do anything to build this dream as high as it can go but I am accepting that I cannot do it alone. Any help is a major help! All donations will be used for restaurant upgrades, overhead, and growth outlets. Thank you!