Van Nuys Restaurant Survives Pandemic With Guidance From The South Valley BusinessSource Center

Lulu’s Restaurant and Sports Bar, one of the oldest restaurants in the San Fernando Valley, has been welcoming and serving customers since 1967. In 2012, Mike C., a general manager who had started as a busboy and later was promoted to cook, was presented with the opportunity to purchase the restaurant; a life-long dream of his.

Since then, Mike and his siblings, who are also managers in the restaurant, have dedicated their time to provide customers and staff with a family-friendly environment.

“Every single year since I took ownership has been very rewarding, especially with being able to work with such great people who enjoy coming to work every single day.”

Mike says that his biggest accomplishment has been being able to provide employment to 33 different families, even during the challenging times that the pandemic has brought upon his business.

“My staff is what has kept me motivated and has given me hope to keep operating and pushing through these difficult times.”

When the Coronavirus lockdown went into effect in March of 2020, Mike thought it would be only for a short period of time and felt confident that it would not affect his business. As months passed and with stay-at-home orders still in place, Mike was considering shutting down as his attempt to survive with online sales was not profitable.

“We had online sales but it did not make too much sense to keep operating with such a high overhead and sales plummeting to a terrifying 40% of our average monthly sales.”

Mike was able to obtain funds from the 1st and 2nd round of the Paycheck Protection Program, which he considered a blessing but even then, it was not enough to fully keep the doors open. In early 2021, Mike found himself in the same position where he again considered closing his restaurant after exhausting all his Covid Relief Funding options.

This is when Mike reached out to Ruth Aguilera, a Business Service Manager at the West Valley WorkSource Center for COVID-19 financial resources. Ruth referred Mike to Luis Luna, Program Manager and Financial Advisor at the South Valley BusinessSource Center. Luis virtually met with Mike and informed him about the SBA Restaurant Revitalization Grant that was launching in early May. Luis assisted Mike with loan preparation assistance such as gathering required business financial documentation; profit & loss statements, business tax returns and business bank statements. As soon as the online platform opened on May 2nd at 9am, Luis and Mike met virtually to successfully complete and submit the Restaurant Revitalization Grant application. A few weeks later, Lulu’s Restaurant was funded the full grant and saved 16 full time employee positions and 4 part time employee positions. A total of 20 jobs were retained.

Since then, Luis and Mike have met to discuss the Post-COVID rebuilding phase which includes strategizing ways to attract customers back to the restaurant, purchasing the restaurant building under the SBA 504 Loan, and possibly expanding to a second Lulu’s Restaurant location.

“I am beyond thankful to Luis Luna for the assistance he has provided. I have received very optimistic guidance, and information that has made things easier for me. He has also provided me with great information on the rebuilding process now that things are getting better.”

Lulu’s Restaurant and Sports Bar is located at 16900 Roscoe Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406 in Council District 6. To view their menu, visit https://www.lulusrestaurant.com, or check out their Instagram page at @lulusvannuys