Client:
Diah Sharif
Batik Café
1209 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Website: http://www.batikcafe.com/

Diah Sjarif came to Santa Cruz 18 years ago to raise her family and make a living as a nurse at Dominican Hospital. Her Indonesian upbringing also provided her skills as an excellent cook, and when she sold her Indonesian food at local Cabrillo College and University of California at Santa Cruz events she sold out very fast. She knew she had an ethnic food product currently not available that the diverse Santa Cruz community would welcome.

Sjarif contacted the Central Coast SBDC office in March 2007 to educate herself about business planning for a restaurant. She immediately started the SBDC 5-Seminar program, “New Entrepreneur Training” in Monterey taught by SBDC Consultant Lou Panetta. She also began business plan counseling with SBDC Consultant Sanjay Lanka who reviewed her business plan draft and discussed financing options. Sjarif was counseled to meet with a realtor for location research and complete permits and expense budget projections. She also completed a market analysis and location due diligence in further sessions.

SBDC Counselor Wallace Berry was then referred to Sjarif in May 2007 to discuss the purchasing process for the existing business she was considering, and Berry provided Sjarif with the confidence to make a counter offer and buy the business using equity financing. She brought in some of her relatives as employees and opened her new Indonesian Restaurant, Batik Café, on August 18th.

In October, the Good Times featured the restaurant in the new business section, and the restaurant critic for the Santa Cruz Sentinel gave the Batik Café high marks, saying the food is “fresh, appealing and rewarding.”

“The Central Coast SBDC was very helpful in finding people to assist me. Sanjay helped with projections and budgeting and Wallace made sure the price was right to purchase the business. The SBDC helped me see that the equity financing choice was the best for my situation.” ~ Diah Sharif

SBDC Consultants:
Sanjay Lanka: sanjay@innoweght.com
Wallace Berry: abebroker@cruzio.com
Central Coast SBDC