Ryland Goldman is the 7-year-old owner of Ryland’s Restaurant opened in Los Gatos, California.
The restaurant is just a block away from his new school, Daves Lane Elementary, and all the morning foot traffic gave him the notion that the restaurant he’s wanted to open since age 3 could be a reality.
“I wanted to sell breakfast to them,” said Ryland Goldman, who also came up with the idea of sharing his take to benefit the school’s technology fund, and he’s donated hundreds of dollars so far.
His parents, Ben and Berrie Goldman, say their son has talked of opening a restaurant for more than half his life. It wasn’t until the Goldmans moved to a new home that Ryland saw his opportunity.
“I moved here and lots of people walked by my house,” Ryland Goldman said.
“I wanted to sell breakfast to them.”
Ryland Goldman is a second grader who loves to be in the kitchen and saw the business opportunity.
Every couple of weeks, Ryland Goldman sets up a folding table and lays out the biscotti, muffins, and brownies he has baked . There is also milk, orange juice, and Starbucks coffee he and his father pick up early in the morning.
Ryland Goldman also prints and posts a menu, complete with prices ($1.75 for a small coffee, $2 for a large).
However, Ryland Goldman is also more than an entrepreneur. He’s a budding philanthropist.
He decided that half of all the money he makes from his restaurant will go to his elementary school. He told Principal Kit Bragg he’d like it to be use to buy technology for the school. In the mere months that Ryland’s Restaurant has been open, he has raised hundreds of dollars for the cause.
Ben and Berrie Goldman promise they did not push their older son to do any of this.
“It was totally Ryland’s idea,” Ben Goldman said.
“It’s all been 100 percent his ideas.”
After his first successful morning selling to his neighbors and classmates, Ryland Goldman decided he wanted to open every morning. His parents say they appreciate Ryland’s enthusiasm, but will keep the hours irregular for the time being.
