It is not every day that you have the opportunity to impact a new start-up restaurant in your community.  So when Gary Schultz, President and CEO of Edwards Garment heard of the Fare Game competition he naturally said “yes, we want to be a part of this.”

Let’s rewind the clock to March 2016.  This was when a building in Kalamazoo’s Washington Square District was renovated by the Kalamazoo County Land Bank.  It was this group’s vision to create a space that would become the centerpiece of the Fare Games competition, which brought together food entrepreneurs to compete for reduced, graduated rent and a prize package of goods and services worth over $30,000 donated by local businesses.  The Land Bank and a group of funders invested over $200,000 in exterior and interior renovations to create a fully functional restaurant kitchen. 

Now for the fun!  Fare Games, a competition for restaurant start-ups began spring 2016.  Business leaders volunteered their time and experience to coach the applicants on their business plans and restaurant design.  At the August Art Hop, the Fare Game competitors held a tasting event for the public and the top three were selected for the final round.  A panel judged the top three applicants and chose unanimously to award the prize to ‘Pho on the Block’ and their modern Vietnamese cuisine.

It’s been nine months since ‘Pho on the Block’ was awarded the winner of the Fare Game competition and they have been working to get ready for their May grand opening. 

This is where Edward’s sponsorship of their uniforms came into play.  “The two partners have been so busy with all the details of their restaurant that uniforms were really the last piece of the puzzle to fit” states Gary Schultz.  “They were looking for uniforms that focused on fashion, comfort, and functionality, so I had them work directly with Kate Geshay, Edwards Merchandise Manager to outfit their staff.”

A number of uniform options were discussed with the partners to determine what garments would work best to convey their brand.  Edwards understands that the employee is the face of any brand, and when it comes to uniforms you need to balance fashion with function.  Based on their restaurant design and type of service (i.e., counter & table service) it was determined that decorated chef apparel would be perfect for their team.  “Decoration was critical to create their brand and Edward’s was able to decorate and deliver the uniforms in less than 3 days,” states Schultz. 

The opening of the restaurant was a tremendous success.  Everyone at the event experienced wonderful Vietnamese cuisine, and learned how local businesses working together can bring the vision for the community to life.