128: Transforming a Mediterranean Restaurant into a National Franchise | Dan Simpson of Taziki's

Background on Dan Simpson of Taziki's Cafe:

Dan Simpson is the Chief Executive Officer at Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe. Dan was named CEO in February 2018 after serving as Taziki’s Chief Innovation Officer starting in May 2016. Previously, he was a Taziki's franchisee and managing partner at Fresh Hospitality from January 2015 until May 2016.

Mr. Simpson was the founder and CEO of ToGo Technologies from May 2012 until January 2015. He was the Chief Development Officer of Dispensary of Hope, Nashville, Tennessee from May 2008 until May 2012. Dan earned his BS in Science from Clearwater Christian College followed by his MBA from West Virginia University.

Born in urban Philadelphia and raised in rural Maine, Dan and his wife Kim now live in Nashville, TN, with their 3 kids. Dan serves on the boards of the Shalom Foundation/Moore Pediatric Surgery Center and Dovehouse Ministries and is a member of TedXNashville Society of Fellows.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:20] The founder of Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe is Keith and Amy Richards. In 1997, the couple went on a romantic getaway in Greece and they were inspired by their experience and the culture of the place.
[4:40] The Taziki’s brand has developed the Hope Program, which offers help to people with special needs.
[6:06] In the early days of Dan’s career, he was in a startup companies, played in a band, and worked for 10 years in the healthcare industry.
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[13:41] There were some mentors who gave Dan valuable lessons in business and entrepreneurship.
[15:37] Dan and a few of his friends launched a nonprofit organization called The Dispensary of Hope, which offers a zero percent waste solution for pharmaceuticals and limit medications that are being wasted.
[19:28] Dan talks about a book called Conscious Capitalism, which offers an effective business model that yields better results for hundreds of companies.
[21:35] He had the opportunity of putting up a mobile app company, which eventually became an online ordering app for restaurants.
[27:04] After leaving the mobile app technology, Dan was invited to work in the restaurant industry.
[29:26] Dan explains a basic business principle or model that he learned in the restaurant industry.
[31:51] According to Dan, brands gain long term credibility by doing things the right way.
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[36:15] Taziki’s is different from other Mediterranean cafe because they focus on having real and fresh food ingredients and doing it the hard way without any shortcuts.
[38:07] Taziki’s prefer locally grown produce. Dan explains the upside of choosing local food products for their cafe.
[40:49] When he joined Taziki’s as the Chief Innovation Officer, Dan’s first goal was to find out the vision of the founder. He also made several changes and innovation to improve the business.
[44:03] It is very important for Dan as a CEO to surround himself with good and smart people.
[45:17] Dan talks about obstacles and challenges that he faced throughout his entrepreneurial journey.
[50:38] Dan gives his last piece of advice on how to start a successful entrepreneurial path.

Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖 📚 Favorite Book(s)? Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey, The Advantage by Travis Bradberry, Shoe Dog by Shoe Dog and anything by Steven King and Pat Conroy
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? Filson 72 hr Bag & Apple AirPods
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Basecamp, Evernote, Google Suite
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? The next 200 managers / local operating partners