After years of working together at a local family restaurant, Barb Eide Gardiner, Tara Koenig and Maribel Cuadros Perrault hatched a plan in 2014 to open their own restaurant, Hen House Eatery. Over the next seven years, their business continued to grow as they served homemade farm-to-table fresh soups, salads, burgers, melts, along with decadent breakfasts, such as cinnamon roll pancakes, carnitas hash, and an impressive variety of specialty cocktails and local craft beers.

The trio never expected a global pandemic would threaten their dream.

While outdoor dining and takeout options kept the beloved local restaurant afloat, they also leaned on a former customer, Crown Banker Lisa Perlman, who became their trusted advisor in 2016. The support and guidance she provided helped them through what would become a very trying year.

Hen House Co-founders Maribel Cuadros Perrault, Barb Eide Gardiner and Tara Koenig

The importance of consistent communications

Gardiner, Koenig and Cuadros Perrault like to be involved in every aspect of their business and when it comes to discussing finances, they value having a consistent person on the other end of the line. This regular and consistent communication stream is something Crown Bank prides itself on providing. And that’s one of the reasons the Hen House founders consider Crown Bank to be a perfect fit – a modern bank with an old-fashioned personal touch.

From everyday banking needs to maneuvering through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application and submission process, Crown Bank was there to lighten the burden. Perlman routinely checked in with Hen House owners to keep them apprised of the status of their business; from fraudulent alerts to status updates on their PPP loan, they never felt out of the loop.

“Before the pandemic hit, we had enjoyed a 20% increase in growth, year after year,” Gardiner said. “2020 could have threatened that if we didn’t have people in our corner to ensure we were seeking financial support opportunities whenever possible. We want to continue to grow and expand both our locations and our offerings to feed more people our home-cooked goodness. We know we can do that, especially with the help of Crown Bank. Working with them this past year solidified that.”

Planning for future growth in the Minneapolis area

As lockdowns and health concerns drag on, Crown Bank continues to support Hen House Eatery through their second PPP loan application and they’re standing by to help explore financial options for growth possibilities in the near future.

“I’ve so enjoyed working with these smart, creative women,” Perlman said. “They can feel confident knowing that Crown Bank will be with them every step of the way in whatever growth path they choose to take.”

Crown Bank Vice President Lisa Perlman and Hen House Co-Founder Barb Eide Gardiner check out the Urban Farm Girl Market at Hen House Eatery

The three entrepreneurs are thinking beyond the pandemic and pondering additional restaurant locations in the metro area. In addition, they are launching a new line of products that will be offered through their online boutique, Urban Farm Girls Market. What they can depend on is Crown Bank as their ally and forever Hen House customer.

At Crown Bank we make the possible, possible. To see more stories about what we do for our customers go to crown-bank.com.

Founded in 2000, Crown Bank is a trusted source for community banking. Crown Bank has been named a top 20 lender nationwide by the Independent Community Bankers of America and “Best Bank” in 2021 by the Edina Sun Current readers.