Jake Bolin Moss
Jessie Wong
Adam Buch
Ashley Edmondson
University of Guelph
Ruben Burga
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The main innovation we focused on with this organization centred around how a family business can show immense care while also helping the community. They are able to achieve this by creating a welcoming atmosphere to all that focuses on a number of different United Nation SDGs.
The Gator Ted’s Restaurant & Bar was started in 1978 and currently supplies jobs to roughly 40 local residents in the Burlington and Halton Region (SDGs #5 & #8). The owners changed the restaurant in 1994 because they felt they could offer more than just a quality meal (SDG #2). They were a hands on team which allowed them to connect on a personal basis with the community making Gator Ted’s welcome to all that were interested in a fantastic family experience (SDG #3 & #10). They continue to carry these same beliefs to this day.
With the passing of their father (the original owner of the restaurant formerly known as “The Ridgeview”) the current owner’s felt it was only right to quit their previous jobs and become the new management of this fine establishment. With that, they wanted to carry on the legacy of their late guardian by keeping his spirit alive through the growth of this business. They managed to do this by transforming his small family run restaurant into a thriving family oriented sports bar, keeping his vision intact.
This local business has made a splash on more than just a community level without even realizing it. Short-term this place has become beloved by the community and brings together so many different types of people including: males, females, local farmers and a variety of ethnicities. Long-term, other larger companies can use Gator Ted’s as an example on how a family run operation does not fall into the hands of greed but creates an amazing atmosphere for all who are impacted around them. They are much more than just a sports bar and all it takes is looking a little deeper into what makes them who they are and how they benefit the people associated with them.
The reason the innovation was so beneficial was because the business kept the same goal from the beginning and never took its eyes off the impact they wanted to make. It was a team effort from start to finish and by growing one single business unlike a chain of businesses, they were able to add a personal touch as well. Overall, being a family run business can be a lot of work but the rewards that come from it are much more important because they outline values rather than just value.
This innovation also made a huge benefit to the local society and allowed for expansion in the workforce. By supplying jobs for many people in the area, a majority being women, they have cut the gender equality barriers in half. They also benefit the environment by using ingredients from local farmers, creating an economic growth for that industry in their designated location. In other words, the innovation reaches more than just the people who run the business, it truly reaches out to an entire neighbourhood.
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Michelle Kindos, Co-owner and Manager
Gator Ted’s is a local family run sports bar in Burlington, ON that serves its customers with great quality food at an affordable price. The Kindos family strives to help their surrounding community by providing a fair working environment for employees and listening to the needs of their customers. They have multiple charitable events, including an annual golf tournament, and they sponsor many local sports teams to help kids play the sports they love.