Chris is opening up a ramen shop in Grand Rapids! BUSINESS MODEL:A hip ramen & boba shop modified as a quick service restaurant. Think ‘Qdoba’ for ramen. Multiple toppings, soups, and flavors, fully customizable. Our food is fast, but we’re also the real deal. From noodles to bone-broth, everything will be made in-house. Vegan and gluten-free options also available for a truly all-inclusive experience. Authentic and traditional Japanese flavors with a flare of fusion. Japanese-mother approved. We will have multi-revenue streams as well: Restaurant food & beverage sales, retail via in-store take-away and in grocery stores, B2B supplying noodle production for local restaurants, and ‘merch’ (i.e. graphic tees) so our patrons can further support us. We aim to have multiple locations. Lastly and most importantly, our mission is to end child hunger. For every bowl of ramen purchased, 3 starving children are fed: one locally, one nationally, and one abroad. This is done by partnering with specialized 3 charities, No Kid Hungry, Hand2Hand, and Faith In Deeds. So as our patrons slurp away to ramen-bliss, they’ll know that they have also made a significant impact in three children’s lives. Together, we will end child hunger, one bowl at a time.  BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY:Ramen is world-renowned and growing. As of 2021, global instant noodles market is expected to grow from $45.67 Billion in 2020 to $73.55 Billion by 2026… But, people want fresh & healthy! Move over freeze-dried stuff, real ramen shops continues to gain popularity in America, moving from major metro to secondary cities. According to IBIS World, over the next five years, revenue for the ramen restaurant industry is expected to expand at an estimated annualized rate of 0.8% to $1.1 billion. Fast-casual is in demand. Noodlepig would be the first to follow the quick service model, bringing people what they want: fast comfort-food. According to Grand View Research, the global fast food and QSR market size was valued at USD 257.19 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1% from 2020 to 2027. Also, Japanese food is far more likely to be eaten out in the US than at home, according to Mintel, a Chicago market-research firm. QSR’s are also fairly covid-proof. The QSR industry flourished during the pandemic due to it’s small square-footage footprint (less overhead) and the robust takeout and delivery options. Lastly, child hunger is real. It’s overseas, it’s in the US, it’s right down the street. According to No Kid Hungry, 16.2 million children in the US suffer from ‘food insecurity’. That’s 1 in 5 children that go hungry at some point during the year. We aim to help end this epidemic here, there, everywhere….one bowl at a time.FUNDING:This is a startup company, so this project would officially launch the Noodlepig brand.We are extremely fortunate to have such wonderful Michigan farmers within reach to source ingredients from. From the organic eggs from Vande Bunte in St. Martin, to King Milling Co. flour in Lowell used in our noodle production, to the locally raised pork from Shamrock Meats in Zeeland, we plan to locally source as much as possible. We also plan to work with Farm Link, a local ‘shipt-like’ platform connecting our restaurant to buy directly from regional farmers. By buying locally, we reduce our carbon footprint while supporting our farmers. In turn, we will be providing our customers increased awareness and education for local nutritional and whole-food procurement. Sourcing locally is an important driver that is shared with our target demographic. These points, in combination with our nutrient-rich bone broths and produce-heavy bases, allow us to better offer healthy food access to our community.Our Japanese-imported noodle machine is one of a kind and will allow us to produce up to 120 portions per hour. So we also plan to produce and sell noodles to other restaurants and for retail. In turn, we will become the only known ramen noodle manufacturer in Michigan.In addition to our wide-reach and social impact, we will be creating up to 30 new jobs with our first location alone with plans of opening 20 more locations in Michigan. The more locations, the more jobs and hungry children are fed. Lastly, we are offering an innovative, approachable way for the community to partner with us to end child hunger.