Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Lopez.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Benny and I have always both been in food service. From being a server, to a line cook, to restaurant management. Food service really has always been our life. My father (this is Jennifer) is an entrepreneur. So owning my own business has always been the goal. I was working at the Olive Garden and knew it was time for more, even though I loved what I did. In 2019 we took the next step and started Bennifer’s. At first we thought that we wanted a brick and mortar, It went as far as working out some details to get it started. Things fell through so we opened up as a food truck. Little did we know that 2020, Covid, was on the way. What a blessing it was to have started with a food truck and not a restaurant. We built a partnership with Three Rings Brewery in McPherson, our hometown, Because of Covid and social distancing, it worked out perfect for us. We were there almost every Friday night, and sold out every single time. Again, truly a blessing. Especially as we were just in the beginning phases of starting our business. As the pandemic lifted and people were getting together again, the opportunity for catering really started to thrive within our business. So much that we made the decision to move to 100% catering and the rest is history. We have been so blessed to have the support of our community since day one.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This is Benny, to answer your question, it has been very smooth for us. We believe this is because of our backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge that we have gained along the way. I have managed a mom and pop restaurant, a franchised restaurant, a corporate restaurant, and am now in Corporate service/campus dining. So you can say that we’ve seen a lot of phases of what food service looks like. Every single one of my employers/companies have had different goals. Being able to have those experiences and take away the bits and pieces of the why’s has really helped us along the way in making decisions. For example, only doing what we excel at. We could offer many different cuisines and options but don’t so our guests will have the ultimate experience.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bennifer’s?
Although we offer a variety of hot food service, we specialize in and are most excited about charcuterie. From Grazing Tables to charcuterie boxes to grab and go charcuterie cups. It is my passion to create these aesthetically pleasing displays. The show stoppers if you will.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We are so blessed to get to do what we love. We hold ourselves to a very high standard with the appreciation and integrity of our ingredients and displays. Our events are personal to us.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benniferssands?igsh=Mnp0cmQ0eGl2Zmpi&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A1NNbwkVt/?mibextid=wwXIfr
