Est. 2020
Building economic mobility through people, businesses, and neighborhoods.
DishRoulette Kitchen (DRK) is a Chicago nonprofit working to make economic opportunity more accessible. We help entrepreneurs build stronger businesses, prepare young people for meaningful careers, and equip community organizations with the systems, tools, and training they need to serve small businesses more effectively.
Our work connects people to practical support, strengthens the organizations they rely on, and creates opportunities for lasting neighborhood investment.
Professional Services Delivered
For Entrepreneurs
Free, hands-on guidance to help you navigate challenges, strengthen operations, and grow your business.
Get Business Support →For Young Professionals
Paid opportunities to gain practical experience, develop professional skills, and build connections.
Explore Career Opportunities →For Community Organizations
We help chambers, NBDCs, nonprofits, and community organizations strengthen operations, train teams, collect data, track outcomes, and build repeatable systems that improve services and demonstrate impact.
Get Organizational Support →DRK Opportunity Map
Your address. Your opportunities.
Find grants, City programs, and business resources available in your Chicago neighborhood.
Our Mission
Economic opportunity should not depend on who you know.
Too often, access to funding, professional guidance, and career opportunities depends on existing relationships and resources. DRK works to make that support more accessible to Chicago entrepreneurs, young people, and the organizations serving their communities.
From emergency relief to long-term support.
DRK began in 2020, responding to the immediate financial challenges facing Chicago's small businesses. What started with direct grants grew into a broader commitment to helping entrepreneurs access the guidance, relationships, and resources they need beyond a single moment of crisis.
During the pandemic, monetary relief was vital, with 63% of our applicants fearing closure within a year. These grants supported women- and minority-owned businesses often excluded from federal and state aid like PPP and EIDL due to the complexity of the application process. This underscored the critical role DRK plays in bridging these gaps.
Analyzing grant applications revealed entrepreneurs needed more than capital — they required technical support to navigate shifting conditions. In response, we launched the DRK Growth Program, a data-driven incubator to help businesses survive and thrive. Initially for grantees, the program now supports all entrepreneurs, prioritizing women and BIPOC from underserved communities.
Our Curriculum
Practical skills for real business decisions.
Our curriculum focuses on the decisions entrepreneurs face every day, from understanding costs and pricing to managing operations, evaluating opportunities, and planning for growth. The goal is to help participants apply what they learn directly to their businesses.
Recognizing the root causes of socioeconomic challenges, we prioritize concepts like bootstrapping and unit economics to foster innovative business solutions.
How We Work
Small Business Development
Hands-on technical assistance across finance, operations, licensing, compliance, and marketing.
Explore Programs →
Career Lab
Career development that also strengthens local businesses. Paid work-based learning that connects Chicago young adults with real projects, professional coaching, mentors, and career pathways.
Explore Career Lab →
Capital Readiness
Financial education and technical assistance that help entrepreneurs prepare for grants, loans, and other capital opportunities.
Get Business Support →
Storefront & Neighborhood Development
Support that helps entrepreneurs navigate property, public funding, permitting, buildout, and the transition into physical storefronts.
DRK is the designated Corridor Lead for the City of Chicago's CCSA program on W 18th Street in Pilsen. We provide free application support, budget scoping, and submission guidance for grants covering up to 75% of buildout costs.
Learn More →
Community Partnerships
Partnerships with public agencies, funders, community organizations, and other institutions that expand access to resources and strengthen neighborhood business ecosystems.
See Our Impact →
Organizational Capacity Building
DRK helps chambers of commerce, NBDCs, nonprofits, and community organizations strengthen their operations and deliver better small business support.
We help teams organize workflows, improve client intake, build repeatable processes, and implement practical tools. We also develop systems to collect data, track services and outcomes, measure impact, and report meaningful results to funders and community partners.
Get Support for Your Organization →Integrated Model + Outcomes
Connected programs. Measurable results.
DRK's programs are designed to work together. Business owners can receive direct assistance, access funding opportunities, and get support as their needs change. Young professionals gain paid experience while contributing to real projects. Community organizations strengthen their systems and ability to serve entrepreneurs.
Across these areas, DRK tracks services, participation, and outcomes to understand what is working, improve program delivery, and communicate results to partners and funders.
"I think of them as an organization that is trying to use their resources to empower BIPOC-led businesses but also engage in social change in the neighborhoods these businesses are situated. What is unique is in addition to providing funding, their theory of change — the hidden curriculum of entrepreneurship that allows people to navigate — which usually is restricted to more resourced and well-connected groups."Assistant Professor, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University
Our Community
Find a DRK business to support near you.
DRK entrepreneurs are operating all over Chicago. Explore the map to discover businesses in your neighborhood — and support them the next time you shop, eat, or hire.
Let's Get to Work.
Running a business? We can help you navigate challenges, access resources, and build a stronger operation.
Supporting small businesses through a nonprofit, chamber of commerce, NBDC, or community organization? We can help you strengthen your systems, train your team, and improve how you deliver services.
DishRoulette Kitchen is a 501(c)(3). Support the work with a donation →
OUR SUPPORTERS & PARTNERS
