Chef Marilou “Lulu” Ranta came to Monson, Maine, for a chef’s job and asked if she could open a small business of her own. That became The Quarry, a fine-dining restaurant that won a James Beard Award in 2023.
At a glance
| Business | The Quarry |
| Owner | Marilou “Lulu” Ranta, Chef & Owner |
| Industry | Restaurant (fine dining) |
| Location | Monson, Maine |
| Used for | Enclosing the porch for year-round seating, and a restaurant generator |
About The Quarry
The Quarry opened in 2018 and serves American fine dining with a Filipino influence, reflecting Lulu’s roots in the Philippines. In 2023 it won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality, and Lulu became the first graduate of a Maine culinary school to win a James Beard Award (Bangor Daily News, Down East).
Growing after the award
I didn’t realize it’s going to get this big.
After the award, funding offers poured into Lulu’s inbox, and SBG Funding stood out. She had tried her bank first, but it wanted collateral and paperwork a growing restaurant didn’t have yet.
How am I gonna grow my business? I don’t have all those yet.
What the funding did
Lulu enclosed and raised The Quarry’s porch so guests can use it year-round. She also bought a generator, because in rural Maine the power sometimes goes out.
I will do it again in a heartbeat.
Lulu’s experience with her bank is common. In the Federal Reserve’s most recent survey of small employers, large banks fully approved 45% of the businesses that applied to them (Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey).
Watch Lulu’s story
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