701: Jae Kim on Food Trucks and Loyalty Programs

Jae Kim got his start in the food and beverage industry as the owner of a coffee shop --  while in college! Unfortunately, that business failed, but it left him with a burning desire to try again. In 2010 Chi’Lantro was founded. Chi'Lantro started as a food truck serving a fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisine. Today, there are eight restaurants, two food trucks, and two trailers under the Chi’Lantro brand in Austin, Texas.

Check out Business Plan Pro as mentioned in today's episode.

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Favorite success quote or mantra:

"To be dedicated, to be authentic, to be resilient, and be thankful."

In today's episode with Jae Kim we will discuss:

• From a food truck to 8 brick-and-mortar locations
• EOS - Entrepreneur's Operating Systems
• Location is key
• Stay focused
• Take the leap
• Take action, stop dreaming
• Business plans
• The power of planning and physically writing things down
• You must reach out to mentors
• Food truck start-up advice
• The potential power and impact of social media
• Loyalty programs - Kim's opinion on the three best:
  • Paytronix
  • Thanx 
  • Loyalty3
• Realities of food trucks
• Inventing a food item - Kimchi fries
• Shark Tank TV show
• Learning from mistakes
• Franchising
• Consulting - should you hire outside?
• Discipline

Today's sponsor:

BentoBox empowers restaurants to own their presence, profits and relationships. The hospitality platform disrupts third-party services that come between the restaurant and the guest. BentoBox puts the restaurant first and offers tools that drive high-margin revenue directly through the restaurant’s website. BentoBox is trusted and loved by over 5,000 restaurants worldwide including Union Square Hospitality Group, Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern, Lilia and more.

 

Restaurant365 is a cloud-based, all-in-one, restaurant-specific accounting and back-office platform that seamlessly integrates with POS systems, payroll providers, food and beverage vendors. It generates accurate real-time reporting and analysis in user-friendly dashboards, facilitating immediate, data-driven decision making. Restaurant365 eliminates manual, error-prone processes and is designed to help restaurant businesses grow with functionality that helps optimize labor costs, reduce food costs and increase revenue.

P&G ProfessionalTM offers innovative total foodservice solutions featuring trusted brands such as Dawn® Professional, Cascade® Professional, Spic and Span® and Comet®. We are unique in that our total solutions are founded in customer and patron understanding, superior products that help save time and cut overall costs, and a five-star service group that is compensated based on customer satisfaction, not commissions. Visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional's solutions and services.

 

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Grit
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Organization
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • Culture - do they fit your culture
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Growth
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Dedicated, authentic, resilient, thankful
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Customer first always
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
   • Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight
   • The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned From 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger
   • Principles: Life & Work by Ray Dalio
8. Name one service you've hired.
   • Interior Designer Kim Lewis - Austin, TX - www.kimlewisdesigns.com
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how has it influenced operations?
   • Restaurant 365
   • Google Docs
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Have fun
    • Live in the moment
    • Love

Contact info:

Chi'lantro BBQ website

Thanks for listening!

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Huge thanks to Jae Kim for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

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