I spoke with Lisa Graham, director of ProStart, about the 2026 Invitational — a statewide competition bringing together around 100 high school students from across Kansas, all focused on restaurant management and the culinary arts.
Teams compete in a fast-paced format, showcasing leadership, creativity, and technical skill. At stake are scholarships — and a first-place finish that advances to the national competition in Baltimore this May.
I started in the restaurant management room. In this division, students build a full business concept from the ground up. I watched a team from Wyandotte High School present their coffee shop and bookstore concept, Stomping Grounds.
Each team has just one hour, broken into seven-minute segments, to cover six core categories: menu and recipe development, food costing and budgeting, marketing, return on investment, floor plan and design, and a full SWOT analysis — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
They present in front of a panel of judges made up of Kansas Hospitality and Restaurant Association board members, local restaurateurs, business owners, and even former ProStart winners.
Honestly, it felt a lot like Shark Tank — only these are high school students, confidently pitching ideas with clarity and purpose.
This year, first place went to Blue Valley West, followed by Andover Central, Campus High and Wichita Northwest.
I left impressed by their ambition — and energized by the future of our industry.
