Client Highlight - Mayasari Indonesian Grill

Mayasari Effendi and her husband Richard Mays together own Mayasari Indonesian Grill (Facebook page) in Greensburg, Indiana. Their restaurant features fresh, made-to-order, and authentic Indonesian Cuisine with a twist on American fare, as well.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Maya graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Purdue University in 2006. Maya and Richard met at Valeo Engine Cooling where Richard worked for more than 23 years. In 2009, Maya went to Culinary Arts School.

Maya's Grandma owned a restaurant in Indonesia. Maya was in her grandma's restaurant a lot as a kid and often helped the family-run business by working there after school. She learned a lot about the restaurant business, and her grandma and mom taught her how to cook. Although it was difficult working in the restaurant so much growing up, Maya is grateful that she had the experience working at her family's restaurant when she was little.

Maya's mission for her business is to allow people to try cuisine from different cultures who may have never experienced diverse food. She wishes to expand her customers' culinary experience. 

Maya and Richard enjoy so much about their business. They love the looks on customers' faces when their food arrives at their tables. Some people try Indonesian food for the first time at Maya's restaurant and fall in love with the tasty cuisine. Maya says that her Indonesian food has layers upon layers of delicious tastes, and customers are always delighted to experience the beautifully plated, tasty food. Long hours at the restaurant make Maya's job a little more difficult. However, she gets to work with her family, which makes it all worth it. Maya and Richard's children enjoy helping out at the restaurant when they have the time. Maya's older daughter works at the restaurant frequently, and loves the experience and working with her mother.

Like most entrepreneurs, Maya has faced some challenges along the way. When first opening, the introduction of exotic food to the Greensburg area proved to be challenging because it was new to the citizens. Although some of the Greensburg people had never tried Indonesian food, once they did try Maya's cuisine, they loved it and always return for more.

After finding the right location and equipment, Maya and Richard opened Mayasari Indonesian Grill on May 9, 2012. Since opening, Maya has experienced increasing sales. At first, the restaurant only had one full time employee and two part time employees. Now, Mayasari Indonesian Grill employs two full time workers and five part time workers.

Maya and Richard strive to contribute to their community. When they wrote their business model, they planned to buy as much locally as possible. At first, they were only able to buy 50% of their ingredients from local farmers. Now, they buy 95% of their food from local farmers and suppliers. Maya feels very lucky and grateful to live in an area with so many great farmers.

Maya has been a client of the Southeast ISBDC since June 2011. Maya feels that her business wouldn't be where it is today without the help of the Southeast ISBDC and its services. Maya, who met with former Business Advisor Eric Kranz, says that she encourages anyone who wants to start their business to contact the ISBDC for assistance.

Southeast ISBDC Regional Director Blayr Barnard says of Maya and her restaurant, "Mayasari's not only has fantastic food, but you are greeted by an owner, served by a daughter and fed by Maya herself. She sources locally, not because it is cool, but because the produce is better. The piece that has impressed me the most though is that she sponsors a night of food where all proceeds, not just profits, go to help a village back home."