The Heart Behind ScaleUp Kitchen and How It Transforms Local Businesses
Written & Photographed by Maddie McMurry
As the ScaleUp Kitchen program has come to a close, the entrepreneurs have pitched their concepts, and winners have been announced, we sat down with the facilitator, Lisa Brown, to hear her passion behind helping restaurant entrepreneurs through this program.
ScaleUp Kitchen, supported by the Ford Philanthropy and hosted by Epicenter and theCO, is dedicated to guiding food-based businesses in Haywood, Madison, Shelby, and Tipton counties. ScaleUp Kitchen offers a robust curriculum designed to help entrepreneurs scale their operations, improve profitability, and maximize sales—all while preparing for regional procurement opportunities.
Recently, ScaleUp Kitchen held a competition and showcase where 20 participants pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges. The stakes were high, with five food entrepreneurs winning prizes ranging from $20,000 to $6,000. The first-place winner, Skillet Junction, a local gem in Downtown Jackson, Tennessee, took home the top prize. Other winners included Good Fortune from Memphis and three third-place finishers: Littlebird Bar & Restaurant from Jackson, Riko’s Kickin Chicken from Memphis, and The Cellar Restaurant & Prohibition Bar from Covington.
The real story of ScaleUp Kitchen lies in its impact beyond the prize money. Lisa Brown, a seasoned professional with a rich background in restaurant operations and business development, leads the program as the facilitator. Lisa’s journey began in 2011, working as a Sales Profit and Operations coach for Burger King franchises generating $50-60 million in annual revenue. Her role involved crafting action plans, improving operations, and increasing sales for a diverse range of franchise owners, from single operators to large multi-state businesses. This experience sparked her passion for supporting entrepreneurs, a passion that she brings to ScaleUp Kitchen.
“Seeing how I could help those single operators brought me so much joy,” Lisa said. “When I can really work with that operator one-on-one, it just showed me there’s a real die-hard passion behind this work.”
“I would say my passion comes from really loving restaurant operations. It is literally a symphony. You are creating a masterpiece every time you open up your kitchen. You need all sides of the business to be operating at full capacity to create a masterpiece for your customers. And I love that. I love the flow state you can get into when you’re working in a restaurant,” Lisa continued. “But I also have a real passion for entrepreneurs because many of us have invested our life savings into our businesses, we are all working well beyond 40 hours a week, and so it gives me a great joy and honor to be able to serve entrepreneurs in the capacity I get to through ScaleUp Kitchen.”
ScaleUp Kitchen is more than just a program; it’s a partnership. The initiative offers a blend of consulting and coaching calls, tailored to meet entrepreneurs where they are. The coaching involves walking alongside the business owner, but consulting is bringing in outside knowledge that they did not already have.
“Most entrepreneurs have their heads down, focused on the day-to-day, so there’s a lot that gets missed, like big-picture things,” Lisa explained. “You have to meet these entrepreneurs where they are; they are not robots. The artistry comes in learning how to talk to every entrepreneur wherever they’re at and how to level with them so that they can see your heart and know that you’re here to help,” Lisa emphasizes.
Building trust is the cornerstone of ScaleUp’s success. The first few months of the program were dedicated to establishing that trust and getting to the heart of the issues that were holding these businesses back.
It is a challenge to let someone in. Even a professional who you know is there to help you succeed.
Sometimes people will ask for help and not really know what that entails. It’s like going to the doctor and saying you have a problem, but when that doctor tells you to undress and get into a gown, that’s where a lot of people get uncomfortable. They come wanting the help, but the undressing part and the unveiling part–saying, ‘these are all the things happening in my business’–that is the part entrepreneurs don’t want to show.
“You really do have to lead with care, passion, and authenticity,” Lisa said.
One of the key criteria for participating in ScaleUp Kitchen is that businesses must have been operating for at least two years and have reached a certain revenue threshold. This program is designed for businesses ready to scale, not startups still finding their footing. The businesses that thrived in the program were those that were financially sound, allowing them the mental and financial space to think about expansion.
“The winners came down to who was willing to be guided and coached. Some entrepreneurs are not willing to change, but the five who placed were willing to be coached well,” Lisa said.
The ultimate goal of ScaleUp Kitchen isn’t just to award prize money—it’s to provide lasting value that transcends a one-time financial boost.
“I am deeply appreciative of the invaluable behind-the-scenes insights and guidance provided during the Scale Up program,” Regina Richmond, owner of Skillet Junction, said. “Special thanks to Lisa Brown for her exceptional mentorship; her transformative support has profoundly enhanced my understanding and growth of the business.”
“We taught them in the beginning of the program, don’t think about the prize money because that’s just one time, and you may not even get it. But what can you get out of the program that is going to be a recurring benefit to your business?” Lisa explains.
Whether it’s increasing sales, streamlining profits, or enhancing team productivity, the insights and strategies gained through ScaleUp Kitchen are designed to set businesses on a path to long-term success. Even the pitching process is seen as an opportunity to build relationships with judges who are deeply invested in the local economy and the success of these entrepreneurs.
Through ScaleUp Kitchen, Lisa and her team did not just support businesses—they helped to shape the future of Tennessee’s food industry, one entrepreneur at a time.
“I just want to highlight the brilliance of the entrepreneurs we chose to participate in the program. That was not an accident. We wanted a variety of businesses and we also looked at if there was anything unique that they were doing. ScaleUp allowed us to come in and infuse these business owners with the knowledge and insight that they probably did not already have, and even if they did, knowing how to implement those things was an important piece.”
