Teton Lunch Counter, located in Jackson WY, may be new to the small business scene, first launching in the Spring of 2022, but in their brief time in business, they have made an immense impact on their community. Teton Lunch Counter is a small, women-owned business, and is Jackson Hole’s only package & waste-free prepared foods provider, exclusively serving the Outdoor Guide & Outfitting Industry of Teton County. Their mission is to reduce the tourism footprint and provide tourists with only the freshest meats and seasonal vegetables from local farmers, ranchers, and small businesses. Teton Lunch Counter serves their lunches in reusable stainless steel, durable, and lightweight Bento lunch box containers. With sustainability at the forefront of the business, Teton Lunch Counter sources as much of its ingredients and meal components from other local businesses and with their reusable lunch containers have successfully kept over 20,000 single-use containers out of the landfill.
Founder, Victoria (Tori) Parker is a Sustainable Energy Development Practitioner with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. She has 7 years of experience within the built environment, namely commercial Net-Zero builds & Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. She is an aspiring chef & student of holistic nutrition culinary. After a successful first season with Teton Lunch Counter, Parker can now add ‘burgeoning sustainability entrepreneur’ to her impressive resume of accomplishments.
Teton Lunch Counter has been utilizing the help of their Wyoming SBDC Network advisor, Audie Cunningham, since the start of their venture, first to develop an initial business plan and now to create a more in-depth plan for year two of business. The Wyoming SBDC Network has advised Teton Lunch Counter on potential funding options for growth plans.
“The Teton Lunch Counter grew their client list and quickly discovered demand for her services and food in Teton County. Because of the success of her first season, Tori [Victoria Parker] is planning on hiring one more employee next year. This will allow her to take on a few new clients – of which she has a bit of a waiting list. Though Tori could take on much more and hire more employees she is also looking at her business strategy and is aware that slow and steady growth is best for Teton Lunch Counter. She always has her eye on sustainability and impact,” said Cunningham.
On growing the business in 2023, founder Victoria Parker says, “We will implement new efficiencies to combat high expenses and can take on another part-time employee so that we can also take on a few new clients. It is expected that we will increase sales in the summer season of 2023.”
Find out more about the Teton Lunch Counter and its sustainability missions at tetonlunchcounter.com and listen to our podcast with Tori Parker on Spotify.