Friday, April 4, 2025

Pasadena to Host Free 1:1 Advising Event for Restaurant Recovery

Local business support initiative targets restaurant sector following Eaton fires

The City of Pasadena’s Economic Development Division and its community partners are continuing efforts to help local businesses recover from the Eaton fires with a specialized event for restaurant owners. The Pasadena Restaurant Resilience Pop-Up, scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, will provide free one-on-one advising sessions and facilitated networking opportunities for the restaurant sector.

“Pasadena has over 700 restaurants and their contributions to the local economy are essential,” said David Klug, Pasadena’s Economic Development Director. “We are proud to work with our partner organizations to offer this support to this important sector of our business community.”

The upcoming restaurant-focused event builds on the success of a previous Small Business Fire Recovery Pop-Up held on March 19 at the Dena Heals space at The Paseo.

That event, hosted in partnership with Pasadena Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Pasadena Women’s Business Center (WBC), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and Foothill Workforce Development Board (FWDB), served over 25 businesses through scheduled advising sessions, with additional walk-ins receiving on-the-spot consultations from City staff, according to the City.

Attendees provided “overwhelmingly” positive feedback, expressing the value in connecting directly with experts, accessing SBA resources, and gaining personalized support, City sources said.

Donald Loewel, Director of the Pasadena SBDC, pointed to the personalized approach of these sessions.

“Through our 1:1 advising sessions, we aim to empower local restaurant owners with the tools and strategies they need to stabilize and expand their businesses. The restaurant industry faces unique challenges, and we are here to provide personalized, actionable guidance.”

The Women’s Business Center is also participating in the initiative.

“We’re excited to support Pasadena’s restaurant community,” said Lizzy Okoro, Director of the Women’s Business Center. “This event will not only provide expert advising but also help strengthen the local restaurant network by encouraging collaboration and sharing of insights among business owners.”

The upcoming restaurant resilience event will take place at Cafe Santorini in Old Pasadena from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Restaurant owners and operators can schedule appointments at bit.ly/PasadenaRestaurants, though availability is limited.

These recovery efforts follow a citywide business impact survey conducted in January 2025, which gathered input from 557 local businesses to better understand the disaster’s effects and inform tailored support strategies. The results underscored the urgent need for accessible, expert guidance for business owners across Pasadena.

The City of Pasadena Economic Development Division works to encourage business investment opportunities and support business retention and attraction activities.

Additional information is available at CityOfPasadena.net/EconomicDevelopment/ or by contacting EconomicDevelopment@CityOfPasadena.net.

Both the Pasadena SBDC and WBC provide no-cost one-on-one consulting from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts. Their services include support with human resources, legal matters, finance, marketing, business planning, web development, government contracting, and more. Support is available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.

Interested businesses can visit pccsbdc.org or call (626) 585-3105.