After being a beer salesperson for years, Richard Allen decided to do something different. After careful planning and using his previous knowledge in the beer industry, Degrees Plato was born and started to operate on May 3, 2017.
“Opening a restaurant that sells alcohol is not an easy task,” explains Richard. “The biggest obstacle we faced was obtaining permits and the entitlement process.” Aside from getting permission from the city to operate the bottle shop, hiring consultants for the business was another huge startup cost.
“Working with Main Street Launch was really helpful because they provided detailed instruction on what to do next.” Richard used the loan from Main Street Launch to buy equipment, pay for labor cost, purchase inventory, and for marketing.
