• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Write
  • Intern
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact

The Austinot

Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.

  • Things To Do
    • Things To Do This Weekend
    • Things To Do This Week
    • Things To Do This Weekend With Kids
  • Discoveries
    • Austinot Loves
    • Activities
    • Day Trips
    • Local Business
  • Food & Drink
    • Food
    • Drink
  • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Theatre
  • Culture
    • Arts
    • History
    • Museums
  • Et Cetera
    • Non-Profits
    • Podcast
    • Archives

Look for Katie and Her Snack Cart at Your Austin Office Building

September 11, 2017 by Vi Chetan Leave a Comment

Katie's Snack Cart Austin

Meet Katie, queen of the cart

Austin is amazing, fun, and special because of its people. Yes, there are a lot of transplants, including me, but y’all made this city too lovable for us to stay away. I officially blame you, the locals, for making me fall in love with this city. Speaking of locals, I recently had a chance to meet a young lady named Katie. I learned about her from my office manager, who had circulated a flyer about her wonderful service, Katie’s Snack Cart.

Katie was born with Autism and cognitive impairment, which has interfered with typical learning abilities. But trust me when I tell you that nothing stops this 22-year-old. Wendy, Katie’s mother, along with teachers, friends, and family members, have put in exceptional effort to avoid letting a disability get in the way of Katie achieving regular life milestones.

How Did Katie’s Snack Cart Begin?

Katie's Snack Cart at Austin Office Building

Katie’s Snack Cart crew at a local office building

As Katie entered adulthood, Wendy and Katie’s teachers at McNeil High School started brainstorming ideas for a potential career. A cart borrowed from the school library enabled a trial run of Katie’s Snack Cart. Teachers and students served as the first customers.

From there, the snack cart visited family members’ offices. This served as a beta test for the concept and created the perfect stage for ironing out any wrinkles.

The business itself is a simple concept: Katie and her crew bring snacks of all kinds right to your desk. The cart is stocked with prepackaged items like trail mix and chips. It also features fresh items like gluten-free cookies and other baked goods, as well as lemonade. The idea is to introduce healthy snacks which are otherwise hard to come by during the 9-5 grind.

A “Social Enterprise”

Wendy describes Katie’s Snack Cart as a “social enterprise.” She emphasizes the business is exactly that–a business–and not a charity, as people sometimes perceive it to be. Katie’s Snack Cart operates like a business, complete with city permits to sell snacks and a commercial kitchen for producing baked goods.

Most importantly, Katie’s Snack Cart provides employment opportunities for people with special needs. For instance, the commercial kitchen employs three bakers with special needs, giving them the opportunity to use their abilities for meaningful work they enjoy.

Selling snacks also provides Katie a chance to develop and improve communication skills. These interactions give the community a chance to get to know and learn to communicate with those who have special needs.

A new fixture at Katie’s Snack Cart is Riley, and his smiling face. Riley and Katie have been buddies for a long time. Riley has high functioning autism, and enjoys being part of something bigger through employment at Katie’s Snack Cart.

The Challenges

Katie's Snack Cart Baker

Quinn, employee of Katie’s Snack Cart and prolific baker (Credit: Wendy Kohman)

As with any business, Katie’s Snack Cart has its own set of challenges. To begin with, the business has had to scale quickly. Wendy is stunned by the success. At the same time, she struggles to cope with the sudden growth.

An easy way for the community to get involved and help is through volunteering. Wendy has also expressed a need for mentorship when it comes to running a small business.

Another unexpected challenge has been designing a cart Katie can operate with little struggle. After some experimenting, a handle was added to a rolling cart, to make it easier for Katie to pull. As Wendy puts it, “Katie’s a puller, not a pusher!”

Of course, the easiest way to get involved is by donating. Katie’s Snack Cart will be launching a crowdfunding campaign in the near future. Funds will be used for SCORE mentorship, business administration, renting more commercial kitchen space, increasing service areas, and more. Watch for the campaign on the company’s Facebook page.

An Exceptional Treat Indeed

Katie's Snack Cart

Riley and Wendy sell snacks from Katie’s Snack Cart

Aren’t Katie and her snack cart an amazing combination? If your office happens to be one of the lucky places serviced by Katie’s Snack Cart, remember to say hello, and maybe buy a cookie. If you haven’t had a visit yet, you can contact Katie’s Snack Cart through katiessnackcart.com.

 

@theAustinot wants to know:

What are your favorite Austin-based social enterprises?

Filed Under: Austinot Loves, Discoveries, Local Business

Best of The Austinot

We always have unique content on The Austinot and we love to give things away. You know, like concert tickets, gift cards, and other cool stuff. We only send out our “Best of the Austinot” newsletter twice a month. It’s where we give you a recap of our best articles and give stuff away. Interested? Subscribe to Best of The Austinot here!

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Things to do

Things to do in Austin this week of October 2

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of October 2 include Broadway Austin presents Six, House of Burton: Austin, and more

Our top choices for things to do in Austin this Week of October 2, 2023, include Broadway Austin presents Six, House of Burton: Austin, Maisie Peters in Concert, and more! Austin is now among the fastest-growing metroplexes in the US! Keeping up with the growth, luckily, there’s plenty going on in Austin all days of the week. […]

10 Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Texas Pumpkin Fest 2023, Touch-a-Truck 2023, and more!

If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that there is always something going on. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 29, 2023, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including Texas Pumpkin Fest 2023, Touch-a-Truck 2023, Boulderfest 2023, American Indian Heritage Day 2023, and more! Editor’s […]

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Bat City Scaregrounds, St. Elias Mediterranean Festival, and More!

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Bat City Scaregrounds, St. Elias Mediterranean Festival, and More!

There are plenty of fun things to do in Austin this Weekend of September 29 which include Bat City Scaregrounds, St. Elias Mediterranean Festival, NAMIWalks Central Texas, Oktoberfest at Banger’s, and more! Whether you’re planning a date or having fun with friends, these events and things to do in Austin this weekend may be right for you. […]

Austin Labor Day Weekend 2023 Events - Top 10 Things to Do

Austin Labor Day Weekend 2023 Events – Top 10 Things to Do Include Fish Fry by ACLC, Cornhole Tournament at Frontyard Brewing, Live Music, Parties & More!

The much-awaited Labor Day 2023 is right around the corner! And as we all know, everybody wants to make the most of this special day and enjoy the last bits of summer. Labor Day pays tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers. In addition to that, it also symbolizes the end of […]

Caverns in Texas - 12 Best Austin Caves & Cave Tours Near You

Caverns in Texas – 12 Best Austin Caves & Cave Tours Near You

Looking for caverns in Texas? Want to explore the best caves in Texas? Luckily, there’s a great mix of both in Austin! Before we dive into the different bat caves in Texas or caverns Texas has to offer, what’s the difference between the two? Well, while used interchangeably, a cave is a naturally occurring cavity […]

Recent Posts

  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of October 2 include Broadway Austin presents Six, House of Burton: Austin, and more
  • 10 Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Texas Pumpkin Fest 2023, Touch-a-Truck 2023, and more!
  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Bat City Scaregrounds, St. Elias Mediterranean Festival, and More!
  • Rooftop Bar Austin – 20 Best Bars, Dinner Spots, High Rise Restaurants Near You
  • Austin Labor Day Weekend 2023 Events – Top 10 Things to Do Include Fish Fry by ACLC, Cornhole Tournament at Frontyard Brewing, Live Music, Parties & More!

Welcome to The Austinot

We are all about Austin: the vibe, the people and the uniqueness of the city. We love to explore. Get to know us! We’ll respond if you comment. Heck, we’ll probably invite you to come and hang out with us!

Follow along to help support and learn more about local businesses, artists, and events.

-The Austinot Team

Privacy Policy

Trending Posts

  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Bat City Scaregrounds, St. Elias Mediterranean Festival, and More!
  • Guide to Austin’s Dirty Sixth Street
  • 10 Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of September 29, 2023 include Texas Pumpkin Fest 2023, Touch-a-Truck 2023, and more!
  • Austin’s Speakeasy Secrets (Shhh): Floppy Disk Repair Co.
  • 14 Cedar Park Restaurants Every Local Needs to Try

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

wpDiscuz
x
x