OPP Kitchen, the shared kitchen space and food court in Martinez, has only been open since last month, but it’s already going strong and launching an initiative to help food and beverage entrepreneurs get on their feet.
“I’ve had mentors, and it does make making a big decision a lot better when you have somebody that knows more than you and you can run it by them and they say yes, these are the questions you need to ask,” said Onnie Sanford, owner of OPP Kitchen (which stands for Other People Prepping).
The unconventional business model—a 24-hour kitchen available to other food businesses to work, cook and sell out of—was borne out of Sanford’s wrestling with a shifting market transformed by COVID-19.
MORE: Augusta takes part of Georgia’s $4 billion film boom
In 2016, Sanford started Paleo Num Yums, a food prep service based on the paleo diet, operating from inside a CrossFit gym before acquiring a storefront. The business thrived during the height of the pandemic, she says, but struggled in the aftermath.
“I think people’s statuses had changed; the economy had changed,” said Sanford.
After trying everything from changing marketing tactics to downsizing, Sanford and her advisors determined that sales were not strong enough to continue, and she was preparing to close shop by the beginning of 2023.
Her accountant, however, suggested renting out her kitchen space. Contemplating the idea, she did some research, conferred with her advisors and realized that the adverse effect the pandemic had on the food and beverage marketplace gave space for an opportunity to lift up everyone.
“No business is doing well,” said Sanford. “The more I looked into it, the more I started planning it, the more I realized that the economy was really hurting, especially food-based small businesses.”
OPP Kitchen and Food Court opened on Aug. 1, and is now the physical location of several budding food shops, food preps and catering services, such as PJ’s Snacky Sack, Angelino’s Street Tacos, ZipChef and, yes, Paleo Num Yums.
The sharing businesses, or members, have the space and even kitchen staff to help them build up their enterprises. Sanford says that while businesses owners who encountered the model thought it was a great idea, some were apprehensive to try joining in.
This inspired the recently launched business mentorship program. Open to food businesses, whether or not they’re members of OPP Kitchen, the mentorship consists of coordinating meetings, in which Sanford advises budding restauranteurs based on their individual needs: from marketing and developing a social media presence, to how to allocate time and resources (such as new space and a new staff on hand that one may not be used to having), to even knowing when and how to find the right help.
MORE: A sports bar with an international flair has opened in downtown Augusta
People with a small, food-based business and have never even looked into how much a brick and mortar costs have no idea what kind of deal this is, she said.
“I joke around that I barely know what I’m doing, but I’ve got people that do and I’m not afraid to ask for help,” Sanford said. “So maybe my big mouth and my aggressive nature can kind of help wholesome businesses and say, ‘hey, it’s okay to ask for help.’”
OPP Kitchen is building itself as a business that helps other businesses build. Sanford hopes that by mentoring others, she can help them cultivate the confidence to make their catering, delivery, preparation services or burgeoning eateries succeed.
Noting her own experience, she points out that most who step out on faith to go into food and beverage for themselves tend to know food more than business; but that this doesn’t have to hinder them from success. Seeking counsel, building a team, finding people that do know how to run a business can be as integral to achieving as having the knowledge oneself, and new entrepreneurs who try to do everything by themselves do so at their peril.
“You can at first,” said Sanford. “But there will come a point where you’ll have to start breaking off, because you only have so much time. That’s probably some of the best advice I was ever given: that I’m not a businessperson, and that’s okay.”
OPP Kitchen is located at 359 Furys Ferry Rd. in Martinez. For more information on the shared kitchen space, and the business mentoring offered, visit https://oppkitchen.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/OPPKitchen.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
