Chris Lindstrom kicks off the Food About Town podcast by introducing his guest, Kausar Ahmed, who shares his compelling journey from Bangladesh to becoming a successful restaurant owner in Rochester, New York. The episode dives deep into Kausar's experiences in the restaurant industry, detailing his transition from aspiring pharmacist to managing multiple Popeyes locations, and ultimately launching his own venture, Crunchix. Kausar emphasizes the importance of community and respect in business, sharing how he strives to create a welcoming environment for his customers while offering authentic, flavorful dishes like his signature chicken shawarma. Listeners can look forward to insights about the challenges of entrepreneurship, the significance of cultural influences in cuisine, and Kausar's vision for future expansions. The episode wraps up with Kausar inviting everyone to visit Crunchix, highlighting its unique offerings and the dedication behind the food.

Mentioned in this episode:

Joe Bean Roasters

Joe Bean Coffee - Coffee that lifts everyone. https://shop.joebeanroasters.com

Getting Real with Bossy: For Women Who Own Business

Check out Getting Real with Bossy: For Women Who Own Business on Lunchador! https://feeds.captivate.fm/gettingrealwithbossy/

Common Thread

Check out Common Thread on Lunchador! https://feeds.captivate.fm/common-threads-hardcore/

Nights and Weekends

Check out Nights and Weekends on Lunchador! https://feeds.captivate.fm/nightsandweekends/

Chris Lindstrom.

And this is the Food About Town podcast.

Rochester.

Well, why Rochester?

Chris Lindstrom was a hoot.

He was just so much fun.

He never stopped talking.

I mean, it was great.

Here's a good idea.

Have a point.

It makes it so much more interesting for the listener.

Then we don't need any characters around to give the joint atmosphere.

Is that clear?

Because I'm a pro.

That's what pros do.

I'm a professional.

Look it up in the.

The book.

But now, yeah, I'm thinking I'm back.

And we are back with another episode of the Food About Town podcast.

It's been a little while.

So before you hear this, you'll.

You can go listen to some of me talking about where I've been, what I've been doing.

But I am here with a guest I'm really excited for, really excited to talk to him.

So, guest, why don't you introduce yourself?

This is Kausar Ahmed.

I'm from.

Originally from Bangladesh.

Okay.

Yeah.

So I was actually, I was searching the name because usually I like to.

I like to understand where somebody's from.

And usually by searching the name, you'll be able to figure it out.

And that was what came up when I searched for like your name is that it was very associated with Bangladesh.

So you came to the US in 26.

Yes.

So what, what brought you.

What was the choice to come to the US Were coming for school or how did that whole thing go?

Okay, it was a scholar DV, like diversity visa.

Like maybe there is 200, 800,000 people actually applied.

Wow.

But I got in.

5,000.

Was that, was there, was there a crisis at the time?

No cry.

Actually, America needed some people, so they did every country, but not all the country.

They did like a lot of years from Bafur, Bangladesh, but they stopped.

But now no more.

So I.

That was a qualification.

You need a high school degree.

Yeah.

And then.

Yeah.

So what I did want to get out first before we just go have a fun conversation, is let's get in the plugs for Crunchix, which is located over on.

Off of J Street in the heart of Rochester.

Can you give the address on how they can find you on.

On the Internet?

Yes.

And actually, and also more you can find on like the www.crunchicks.com and that's.

C R U N C H I C K S I C K S. Yep.

So easy to find.

And if you're not familiar with that area, city, it's right off of 490.

You jump onto Child street and you're basically right there.

It's a minute off of 490.

So if you're not familiar, there's a parking lot across the street and easy to get in.

It is located inside of a convenience store.

So a little bit different if you're not used to that area.

But very common for those kind of things.

I used to work in that neighborhood for a long time.

I worked over on Emerson street off of Mount Reed.

So I worked in that area and spent a lot of time, you know, learning about everything in the area.

And this kind of restaurant is, you know, not exactly your kind, but it's pretty common to find small restaurants inside of convenience stores in the area.

So going back to.

Were you coming for opportunity?

Were you coming for school or how.

Did you see the whole thing?

I actually came mostly, you know, to study and then grow up here.

So I. I started in school, like I started the ESL in English, second language.

Then I did.

I finished the English, like five level.

And then I started actually pharmacy.

Okay.

I finished the pre.

Pharmacy and then I started like in advanced classes.

Actually, I was working 80 hours a day.

I needed to send money to country.

Yeah.

And then I couldn't keep up with my.

All this applied subject, you know, like the advanced subject.

And then it's very.

It's a lot, isn't it?

Like getting a.

Getting a pharmacy degree is a big thing.

Especially.

Especially when like you're also doing it.

Yes.

As a second language and the language of science all at the same time.

Yeah.

I was a student of science in Bangladesh.

So I was.

My dream was to be pharmacist.

Like something on the chemical, like chemist about, you know, about the chemical.

I wanted to be specialist on a chemical.

But actually, since this is my second language, I couldn't actually keep up with the, like, finishing.

So I realized, you know, let's start the, you know, business plan.

So I started with.

When I was doing this class, I was doing actually Buzzboy at the Panchus Diner in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Oh, really?

So you came in.

You came into New Jersey is where you originally started?

Yeah, I.

My first job is basboy.

I was cleaning the table stuff in a restaurant.

And you Were taking classes in New Jersey as well.

Yeah.

And I was a student of the, like, I finished the classes.

I finished the pre pharmacy and then when I went to the Bachelor, I couldn't actually keep up the results, so I dropped.

And then I started the Popeyes as a Coke cashier.

Yeah.

So it was so New Jersey.

Did New Jersey have a big Bangladeshi population?

Yeah, they have it.

Yeah.

Because that's, that's something that is.

Especially for people coming to the US Having that root of a community around has to be very comforting and give you at least a little bit of grounding when you're in a very different place.

And having that community has to be a really nice thing.

Yes, I know.

I've found, you know, here in, you know, here in Rochester that, you know, seeing those groups pop up, especially as we've had refugee populations come in, whether it's the, you know, Afghan or Nepalese or in the long time ago, you know, Jamaican and other things.

Is there, is there a growing Bangladeshi population here in Rochester I'm not familiar with?

Yeah, Rochester is growing in Bangladesh, even though I, I came from.

In like in a year and a half ago.

Okay.

So actually.

And from.

I have seen like a 60, 70 family came.

Okay.

So.

And I know also Bangladeshi business growing right now.

Yeah.

So that's.

Right now it's growing.

But New Jersey was already grown with Bangladesh a long time ago.

Yeah, Pretty.

Pretty established.

Yeah.

Out New Jersey, it's.

People think of New Jersey as one thing.

They think of, you know, the Italian population.

But New Jersey's wildly diverse.

There's a huge concentrations of different populations all over New Jersey.

Big community.

There are so many community.

Bangladeshi community in New Jersey.

Yeah.

So you mentioned that you were starting at.

You started at Popeyes.

No, no.

Panju's first job was Panju's Diner.

American Diner.

Yeah.

So there was.

I was actually Buzzboy.

And then I. I took this actually opportunity like I was living with their company houses.

I could.

I didn't have to pay.

And then I was to.

I could finish my study.

They took on my schedule.

Like, you know, my.

Then they gave me the hours.

And then I finished that as soon as I'm done four years with them.

Then I realized since I can't actually finishing the college, like pharmacy.

So I was thinking, let's do the something I can do future business.

So at that moment, I talk to somebody about the job at the Popeyes.

Yeah.

So they hire me.

At the beginning, they said, okay, I'll make you manager, but you have to Start with the beginning like cashier cook.

So I started with the cashier cook.

So within six month they make me shift manager.

Okay.

So as soon as after another six month later actually they did not increase the money.

Like they're trying to use me as the less money.

So I realized, you know, I need to change the place.

So then I have experience, I work whatever they needed with the mini merge we work with the manager management with the same money.

So I, you know, I know that if some place they don't give you value, change the place.

Yeah, that's what I know.

So seems like you know, when you were shifting over, you're really looking at opportunity, you're looking at the business side of things.

Yeah.

Now from, you know, coming from pharmacy, coming from science.

Did you already have that business mentality?

Did you already.

I never thought I'm going to do the business.

Yeah, never thought it.

So as soon as I see I can't do the pharmacy thing, then I switch to my mind.

Let's start with the business.

Actually any idea comes slowly any I didn't have.

I can't plan everything in the first day.

So I started.

Let's learn the process.

Yeah.

So I started cashier.

Right.

And then as soon as after six months I became a ship manager kind of assistant manager.

And then there is not good with the payment.

Then I move.

I went to the another location.

There was a single owner with the Popeyes.

They needed people.

So when I talked to one of the employees, they gave me an appointment with the talk to management.

So.

And minimum was minimum wage was 725.

Yeah.

Like coming just.

Just over the limit because you know, of course that's the style.

So after that and I gave them nuti.

Oh I started actually cna.

You know, certified nursing assistant.

Right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Then I started.

But as soon as I finished course and I did the internship, I didn't actually like this job.

Somehow I think it's not for me.

Yeah.

So then I quit.

I mean I didn't start the job then as soon as I couldn't actually do the cna then I went to the other location, the Popeyes for the job.

He talked to me, he liked me as like I have experienced.

So he's.

He hired me as a GM.

He hired me as a GM that time.

850 Per week.

Wow.

With 55 hours work.

So start from the 7:25 jump.

This is my first turning point.

Yeah.

And like, say 26, 16 in a.

And it was.

I became a certified training manager.

Or there, New Jersey over.

Around there.

There is no one was a certified training manager.

So you saw an opportunity and like, hey, this could be something.

You don't know exactly where it's going, but you're like, all right, if I can do that, then I'm useful, then I'm valuable.

Yes.

And then it takes like one and a half year only just to become a certified training manager.

So there is.

Since there is nobody over there then, and there is just three people wanted to open a Popeyes, but they don't know how to learn.

They don't know where to go, like, around them.

So they came to me, they paid me $4,500 to train them to be, like, to be owner.

Yeah.

So let's.

Let's take a step back for a second.

So you're learning all the training, and that's training new franchisee owners how to run the business.

But let's.

Let's talk about.

Let's talk about Popeyes for a second.

Because it's.

It's a fascinating business, right?

It is.

It's a small menu.

There's not that many things going on, but there's a lot of, you know, people see it as a certain level of quality, and there's a lot of stuff that is being cooked fresh.

Yes.

And it is being done in house, a lot of those things.

So let's talk about that for a second.

Then we're going to dive back into your story when you were.

When you're training people, when you're doing that, how does that description go?

How are you describing that to them?

Because it's.

In many ways, it is a restaurant that just happens to be very fast.

Yeah.

There is a.

That training management.

There is a.

The course.

Like, you have to follow the procedures.

Yeah.

So I cannot just do my way.

Yeah.

Papa has their own structure.

The way you need to train.

The Papa is the way you need to train.

So I follow the instruction and I, you know, I had to come.

Oh.

Before I do.

There is so many things you have to finish, like 97 plus school three times.

You have to be in there, you know, inspection.

Wow.

Like your customer service, everything has to be above standard.

So when you're done, you become a certified.

They give you certified.

I still have the certificate, so.

And then, then after that, I. I got trained.

Three owners, they came to me and I trained them, and they actually bought a location and they want to open the location in Roanoke, Virginia.

Okay, this is.

Look at.

This is the very interesting point.

When I trained them three days, they realize who I am, like, how.

What kind of person I am, what I can do.

They see the potential on me.

And then they offered me, hey, Kausher, you know what?

This is too difficult for us.

We don't have time to run the business.

Actually, they.

They said, like, why not?

You come and run the business and we give you 15% of the profit share without investment.

Wow.

So they offered me, and then I was making kind of 56, 57,000 a year that time.

Yeah.

And then they offer me a kind of 70,000 yearly salary plus 15% of the profit.

So that's.

Well, that's a big jump.

And did you come over with your family, by the way?

By that time, I came myself.

That time they came by self.

Okay.

And then after that, I actually applied for my family.

My father, mother came after moving to Virginia.

No, no.

When there.

Okay.

They came in two.

Okay.

Then when he came, he applied for my mom and my two brothers to.

Come in to come into New Jersey.

So by when I was moving from Virginia to Roanoke.

I mean, sorry.

From New Jersey to Ronald, we move whole family.

You know, it has to be really nice to have your family now, you know, your family here you are in Virginia and to be there with you and, you know, not be, you know, not be by yourself.

I mean, obviously you've got business and everything.

Yes.

Everything is.

You're always going to be busy.

You're working a lot.

Yeah.

But it had to be nice to have your family here and not just.

Not just sending money back to have them here in the U.S. yeah.

My plan was to bring everybody here.

So I brought them.

And look, this is the final moment.

What is.

I just bought a house in like three months ago, before I came to the Virginia.

I just went to the house like two months ago then.

And then I got the opportunity.

And you know what?

I, as soon as I get them, I give them notice to My.

I accepted their offer.

Yeah.

You know, I think I didn't even know Ronoke, how he's there.

How is everything?

Where I'm gonna go?

I don't know.

We found.

I gave them a notice.

I hired one of my friend.

He.

I trained him a month almost.

He is good.

So I made him a gm so my owners, like, can be happy.

Yeah.

So at your place in New Jersey.

Yeah.

Yeah.

My.

So he.

He's now doing.

He's now actually the director of operation District manager, kind of in Pennsylvania.

My.

Where I teach him.

That's awesome.

I have so many people right now.

That has to feel really good too, right?

Yeah.

Hundreds of people like there.

They came to Popeyes.

Oh, I was the almost kind of first person a Popeyes worker in New Jersey over this area, like Cheer Hill, Philadelphia, kind of this area.

Bangladesh.

There is not too many Bangladesh.

Maybe one or two, including me that time, but now thousand of them.

Really.

I was the root of the Popeyes management.

I was the only.

The manager started.

Because if you're not a manager, you cannot hire people.

There is no growth for your community.

So as soon as I become the manager, so I was able to pull my community to this business.

Oh, another good thing before I started the Popeyes, people was telling, oh, working the cashier, Popeyes, you need years and years, people were saying, because that time I didn't actually know English enough.

I.

After I started learning, then I, you know, I was okay with English.

So still not good, but I'm learning still.

So as soon as I learned English, I get the opportunity.

So I actually.

People are saying the thing I cannot do.

And within, like, years and years, I did in a six month.

Yeah, Well, I think that's also.

What you mentioned is also really important too, is you're seeing opportunity in people because you are the one that took that opportunity and were able to then be able to help others.

Yeah.

And that's.

And I could see.

I could see the happiness on your face and the pride you have in that, because that's.

I think that's part of our.

It's part of our responsibility, but it's part of our joy in life is to offer.

Offer opportunities when we have the opportunity to do so.

And that you get to see things that other people might not see.

Because, you know, people have biases.

People have other things.

And hey, people, they want.

They're.

They want everybody to be easy and you don't have to work at it, but you see the opportunity in the people and that, hey, hey, maybe if we find them in a class or hey, you can learn English and you can be better.

That they have that opportunity to make their family better too.

I. I know one thing.

When you do any business or anything in your life, if you do for others, when you do for others, automatically you helping yourself.

Because I have seen when I help other people, the other help other helps me.

Even the other does not help you.

Does not matter that God will help you.

Yeah.

And I think that's also like.

It makes you feel like you're a part of something.

Yeah, right.

Like that's when I.

When I started doing food and drink stuff in Rochester, I was.

I was a bit lost.

I didn't know where I belonged.

And being able to contribute and be part of that community has meant so much to me and it's offered me so much more.

It's offered me more paths to do things and be part of the bigger Rochester community and the arts and everything else.

It's the thing that's so.

It's talked about, but it's not really the value of.

It's not the financial value.

It's making you feel like a person, making you feel like you belong somewhere.

It's important.

And that's why I mentioned community is like you were started to build your own extended community of people by.

By giving opportunities and maybe opportunities that people wouldn't have had otherwise.

That.

That time I live the.

My manager, he quit after I think two years later he got opportunity another way somewhere as a district manager.

He left.

But who was my assistant manager.

He is still working as a GM over there.

Yeah, same location since two.

He was in seventh grade when I started him as a dishwasher.

He is now.

How awesome is that?

His whole family works there.

Yeah.

Father, I mean his sister and his three brothers total.

Five, six cousin.

Everybody works in this location.

It's fascinating.

The thing is my.

I know their prayer come from my owner.

He said before I go there, he said like six, seven years he was trying to go to a Hajj, you know, for our Muslim.

For the Hajj.

But he can.

Can you explain that to people who aren't as familiar with that?

Oh, that is actually kind of a Muslim religious that, you know, go to the.

It's called Makkah in Saudi Arabia.

And that's a travel bath.

Yeah.

There you.

If you go there, it's just called Sawab, like good things put over the goddamn.

So if you go there, like we believe if you go there and pray, our scene will be clear.

That's.

Yeah.

And that's, you know, it's, you know, having that, you know, being able to do that as well.

You know, it's a, it's a great thing to be able to do if you have the opportunity as somebody who is practicing.

He said, they said like their husband and wife owner.

So they went to the Hajj because I was there before they couldn't.

Who's going to run the business?

Wow.

So they got.

They trusted me and they was leaving me and there they finish it.

They came and they say, oh my God, we pray for you so much because you, because of you, we was able to go.

But I mean, think about that, what that means to them too.

Yeah.

And as people have probably been working big hours for a very long time to have somebody that they believed in.

But that belief in you.

Yes.

Then transfers to others.

So I'm kind of.

Let's.

Let's go into Roanoke because Roanoke's a very different area.

You're in the mountains of Virginia.

And that had to be a bit of a, A bit of a culture shift from New Jersey which does not have many mountains or, or forests or other things right around there.

Yeah.

So as soon as I get the opportunity, I.

So I gave him one month.

So we sat on this New Jersey done.

Then I got the.

About the phone.

Like we checked the single house.

I didn't even look and I look at the picture.

I rented the house.

Wow.

Without.

Without looking.

I just look and then I.

My owner, he dropped the truck.

Yeah.

And we load the thing.

He.

He dropped the 26 foot truck.

My owner and I drove my, my car.

I had second car.

My.

Have my.

Another car.

My brother, he dropped this one.

So two, three cars.

I mean one truck, two car.

We dropped one day and we came to whole house.

We shift and then I put a rent my house.

New Jersey house.

Oh, nice.

A rented house.

And I came to that Rono location.

But when I came still like there is a two, three months away to open.

But my owner still was paying me.

Wow.

Three months kind of.

And I was visiting or still they're fixing the ground.

They're still like fixing the wall.

You know, building the wall that time.

Okay.

What I do, they pay me.

What I do.

I go every day there because I want to make my honest money.

Absolutely.

My real money.

So I don't just sleep at home still.

I'm there.

I met around 8 hours.

7.

8 Hours at least the day there I stand there.

March 20th.

Yeah.

And this location and that's that was part of like that huge expansion of like Popeyes were exploding around the country.

They just started major expansion during that time period if I remember correctly.

And that's when I think when the you know the chicken sandwich.

It will come up after.

Okay.

Yeah.

So getting into Virginia.

So there's the one store and then you had the opportunity for a few more, right?

Yeah.

They told me okay we're gonna give you three more other location.

We're gonna buy it.

But they are ended up with something like they're not going to buy anymore.

Oh so they own many franchises.

But really.

Yeah.

Then and not this one that I I will.

This is who are actually mostly own in Ronald.

Okay.

So there because of them they are not able to get any other location.

So then the in the also they have some family probably some issue they don't want to work with anymore.

So they quit.

They want to sell that location.

So and they want to sell it.

So I but that is planned for the later in the before the plan.

That plan was there inside their head.

But I realized somehow that's going to be happening.

Somehow they're not.

Why already two years.

They are not building anything.

So I am out of patience because I cannot wait that long.

Especially when you bring your whole family to a whole new location.

Yeah, they're supposed to be in two years at least one location.

They're not doing it.

So I realized no, they're not going to be happening anymore.

Okay.

Then they actually took me.

They took with me it took me over there my owner.

Then okay, let's go to the convention.

So I went there.

That's the amazing thing in my life.

The first time big business, you know convention propy whole countries people goes there.

This is the best feeling that I learned.

It's my you know, heart like I was very happy and I was thinking I learned a lot of things from this convention.

So I took my oh I just recently married that time.

I I I brought my my wife just month ago from that time I went I took my wife also to the convention and you know there So I when I was there.

So fun thing is here.

So when I there was there.

So I meet my old first boss.

Oh wow.

You know who is that?

I who did not give me the Promotion.

I mean, money raised.

Yeah.

So not he's the owner, but his partner was actually over there.

Yeah.

They did not arrays.

So when I see.

But I probably see one or two times my life.

But he remember my face.

I remember his face.

That kind of thing.

So his owner, he saw me, he said, why not you come to me, Ronald?

I have more Popeyes.

You can run whole Roanoke.

Wow.

He said, you run, we can open more Popeyes.

You take the chance and you quit the other one if you're gonna buy later these Popeyes.

He said.

So I said, what is the purpose?

Why I'm gonna go with you.

I'm making now 15%.

Yeah.

Of the share.

I approximately made 100k a year, including my profit.

So you say the only he has one store in this location that time that store was yearly losing like 95,000.

Holy cow.

Because of no management good.

And area is not that good.

But the management issue.

Yeah.

So he said.

I said, okay, at least if I whatever I make.

If I can.

Because if I can make over there same amount money, I will work for you.

What do you mean hundred thousand salary?

Yeah.

And he said, oh, he said, first I gave you same salary, 70k, but I'll give you 40 share.

He said with paper.

He.

He had an agreement with me.

Yeah, that's.

This is.

This is not an area where you.

Where you take somebody by their word.

Yeah.

You need that in paper.

You need in a paper.

Even though paper.

I'm not good with it.

I know some should be something on the wrong thing should be on the paper.

So many.

The language is very hard on the lawyer.

From the lawyer.

Absolutely.

You need it to be right.

You need it to be.

Because you have to protect yourself.

And like I like working with people without that generally as much as I can.

But when it comes down to it, especially when it comes to protecting your family and protecting what you're building, you need that especially hey, you already have that relationship.

You need that in writing.

You need that on paper.

Yeah.

So they gave me all the paper.

But I assigned I believe that not hundred percent to me.

So to be owner.

But he put in a $1.

I paid for the whole 40%.

I still have the paper.

But the thing is as also I believe I will not get this percentage when we sell that or when I quit.

Right.

I know as a logically what is right or wrong.

So as I was thinking, okay, whatever.

I get the profit every day or monthly.

I'm happy I don't have to get this ownership.

That was My mindset for sure.

So.

And I was getting my 100,000 salary first six, seven, eight months.

Like, you know, business even break even.

Even though he pay me 40% salary is I brought this to break even from the 95,000 loss.

Right.

Okay.

Yeah.

So then I quit, right?

Oh, I quit.

I told you I quit.

And I left live there.

They sold the house to somebody.

I mean Popeyes to the other.

Other owner.

He sold the Popeyes to the other.

That single location.

Yeah.

He's gonna buy.

But the negotiation wasn't good.

They didn't buy it.

Yeah.

So somebody else came around.

Oh, my God.

So that's when sandwich came blow the Popeyes like the.

The viral sandwich.

Yeah.

So I think what we're going to do, we're going to take a break.

We're going to come talk about that because that was.

It was such a big shift.

So let's take a break.

We're going to come back to that and we'll be right back.

All right, starting back up.

So since.

Yeah, sorry, since you started, you know, whole story, I want to touch up the entire little bit because you already started with the.

My story, you know.

Yeah.

Good.

Yeah.

All right, starting back up in three, two, one.

All right.

And we're back after our break with Karsar Ahmed.

And we left off in.

Left off in Virginia.

And this is the inflection point where Popeyes became super, like, super popular.

And it's the fried chicken sandwich.

I mean, what did that do to business?

Because that.

It changed almost everything and how people saw the company.

Yes.

So basically the Burger King owner, he bought the Popeyes.

Yeah.

You know, that time a little earlier, $8 billion he paid for.

For the Popeyes buying the Popeyes by the Burger King owner.

So then he added this.

All the new things, all.

All that invention.

So the sandwich came to the point.

The sandwich was so good, you know, with the flavor and everything.

Then a lot of people like came to the location.

There was even.

I heard somebody dive in on the line.

That was like fighting because of the sandwich.

It's wild.

So.

So last one point when I started that sale was nine.

Between nine to $10,000 a week.

Yeah.

So I end up with the same D when Kim I did.

Highest sale weekly, 37,000.

Oh, my God.

Like that.

That's.

It's such a huge change.

I mean, that's a 300% increase.

Yeah.

I did average some.

It's not like but now I left with like $626,000, which is after.

But that's still even then like that's, that's 200% increase from a baseline after all that time.

That's, that's just such a giant change in how many people are going to these, you're going to these restaurants.

And that has to change the entire workflow as well.

Yeah.

Even though they paid me 40% of the percentage, I mean a share and then 100,000.

This still was making money.

Yeah, but before they didn't pay anyone before salary high or not, they still lost money.

Yeah.

Okay.

As soon as I like 1 1/2 year they was giving me good money because 40% they was thinking, you know why we are using causeway in this location?

He's a potential.

Let's give him the opportunity in Pennsylvania a couple store, three, four store.

Then smaller towns.

Pennsylvania, Ohio.

No, there is a.

They gave me one two store in Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh.

Okay.

One in Ohio.

But I still have the Virginia.

So look, I run three, four different store in three states.

Wow.

Oh and it's.

That's, that's a big, big trip in between too.

You're flying a lot at that point.

Are you driving?

Driving six, seven hours drive.

But I didn't have to do too much and long because my brother, I left my brother as a gm.

Oh, look, see, look at you.

You're getting your brother into the business too.

Oh, and this is my younger brother.

And the other brother was only 19, but whoever was 22, he was a GM.

When I was 19, I trained him and he was good with the English finish high school.

He was.

He had.

He's a younger but he's more strength.

He was more, you know, like dreamer.

Yeah.

So I, I trained him in a week.

I trained him week.

Hey, you want to be district?

I told him you are going to be this team.

I'm a director.

So you're going to be district manager.

I trained him in a week.

He became a district manager 19 years.

So he never became even.

Never.

He was a assistant manager.

He never was a gm.

I make him a district manager because of my brother.

I want him to be district manager.

Yeah, but he was potential.

He did a. I took over two store 9,000, 11,000 a week again the broken like all broke.

Yeah.

So when I was there.

So both.

One was up to 42,000.

I jump when syndicam one was I think 36.

So both as soon as I build up and then as soon as I build up this the company you Know, I understand the strategy when these sales good people sell the get the partnership, they get more money.

So they.

I was making 100 here and they added 15,000 salary over there.

So 115 I was making total.

Yeah.

Plus other three location.

Oh, Ohio was new building Popeyes.

Okay.

So I took that too.

During the expansion.

Same time.

Yeah.

It's during that expansion that was starting to happen because of that demand that.

I mean for any of those locations, it's a lot.

Right.

You're adding all that extra business in the same space.

Right.

You're not increasing the space and then adding more and adding more because that's, that's a big shift.

It's a big change in how the business runs.

So that he hired me, he said he shipped me to the Ohio.

I got them.

I bought a house without looking.

I didn't go there Ohio.

This is a trend with you, Kasar.

Like you're.

You're buying houses with.

And getting houses without looking at them.

Even buying and renting.

Then final one is rent first owners rent without looking.

Final one I bought there without looking.

It's.

This is a trend with you.

I think we need to work on this.

You need to look at houses before you get in them.

But I was success almost everything.

Yeah.

Without looking, no issue.

Because I. I was think renting.

I was thinking what I'm going to look for.

As long as no leaks.

Yeah.

If I leaks, they're going to.

If the leaks, they're going to fix it.

Yeah.

So what I'm going to look for, I'm not going to buy it.

Or the second thing was I bought it also without looking.

I was thinking, you know what, it's not too expensive, like $108,000.

But as long as I can live there three, four months, six months, I can buy another house.

Yeah, let's go.

Instead of getting rent, get the house and live in there.

Yeah.

So I bought a house and the same way my brother and together we move in there.

So we first we started with Pittsburgh 2 location.

And after three months we open Ohio.

So new location.

Yeah.

So then three location.

As soon as all these good.

We in a stable sales.

So my owner, they decided to the piece by location to sell somebody else.

So they decreased my salary $15,000.

Yeah.

So that time I got upset and started, you know, you know, that's not good for me.

Like to 15 even.

Sometimes they did without even asking me.

That's not good.

I like, I didn't like it.

That thing if you don't like, you Tell me we cannot give you but on your paycheck is coming around.

That's not good reputation for a business.

No.

And it's especially all the work you've did and you it's not to say that the reductions wrong.

It's that you've done all that work for them to help make their businesses successful.

And it's about respect.

Yeah.

Right.

It's.

You should be respected as somebody who's been doing that work who has helped them increase their things and also just hey person to person we know each other.

Yeah.

Give me the respect of telling me this is going to happen and not just doing it because hey, business is business.

If they have to sell, they have to sell.

Yeah.

But respect ask me cause you don't like I'm not able to pay that much.

I will say I quit.

Yeah.

Or I stay with your money.

Not no conversation.

Having a choice.

Right.

Having a choice means they're respecting you as a person.

Yeah.

And not just as hey you're doing this thing like no, you're a person.

Give give you the respect of giving you the choice at that point.

So.

And then every store I lose means two stores they took from me.

Yeah.

Oh after 100,000 after few months they took both Pennsylvania store from me.

Means they used to stay on Ohio only.

Yeah.

So if I where is my non potential thing?

If I can increase the business and I did for you and then there is I'm potential.

But all you wanted because you want to sell it.

That's fine.

So they brought me on Ohio.

Okay.

Only one store and then one in Virginia.

Two more left.

Yeah.

So.

So each tour lose mean 20 profit share also lose a loss 20% each store.

So now 40% gone and then plus 15,000 so 100,000 salary now in one store now 100,000 salary Ohio and.

And Virginia two store 50.

50.

Yeah.

So and 20 and 40 still I have a 60 profit share.

Sure.

And then as soon as another like year like that I think almost like a year he said I'm gonna give you whole Ronok.

I am opening three four store Ron.

I'll go back to Roanoke again and I'll sold this location like to share the partnership with others.

So he said okay.

So I went there.

I I the why I actually move up again back I back to Ronald.

Why Because I have a 40 partnership.

That was my.

It's hard.

It's hard to turn away like that's especially in this in that kind of the world like that.

That is not a number that people would ever expect to get.

But yeah I got I can tell you in the entire job sector people say that no one had it what I have even this company, nobody gave them this opportunity.

What I haven't people give 2%, 3%, 5%.

Yeah I was going to say like that's what I would have expected to hear when you said it.

I'm like that's a jarring number for anybody.

Yeah and it's hard to walk away from that even if hey nothing worked exactly the way you wanted it to.

But that's a number that's really hard to walk away from.

I came back to Roanoke okay then, then he supposed to open it.

He's not opening another year, two years almost.

I'm out of patient I think by that time finally I we opened another location new location in its name is Tangilud.

I started this 20% again the second the night I my hopes coming started again.

Yeah so then second location but so as soon as I opened myself the grand opening all the new store I did myself grand opening this location.

So as soon as I did no second location I was fine another year and a half hours making good money.

That's fine.

And that's, that's another, that's another without.

Telling me this too.

It's another not communication.

It's another that it's hard, it's hard to stay doing a thing when you don't feel, you don't feel valued and not just financially it's being feeling valued in what you do.

So the last thing after that when they get the second location they make me 75,000 for two store each.

One and a half and half.

So after that, after another one and a half year I supposed to get the third fourth location.

Right.

So they're opening a new location but the director he was against me all the time like he didn't want it to give me more this tangled location.

So what happened is he was behind me always to not to give me but owner really liked me he actually gave me the location.

So finally I lost the fight.

So what happened is finally he went there one day he said Kawzer give me the safe count.

Nothing, nothing.

Telling me he take me away kind of fire me from there without telling me say give me the count the money that's the Chasing me like she chase me like.

And with the bad behavior like he just.

This is the best bad feeling in my life.

Yeah.

What I did for your company that long you have to do.

Why you can let me.

I'm not gonna steal from you say mini 500.

No.

You paid me so much money in your life.

You helped me a lot you what I'm going to do with this 500.

I don't want to do anything with the business.

And that much you cannot trust me by this six, four or five years I work with you.

It's.

And that's a bad way to walk away, right?

It makes you.

Makes you feel.

It makes you feel less.

It makes you feel like you're not being that respect.

Right.

You've done so much and you're not being respected.

Especially like that on the way out.

If it's business and hey, we need to hire somebody who's getting less percentage.

Okay, fine.

Yeah.

Because what you're getting is a lot, right?

That's a lot.

Yeah but that disrespect on the way out, it doesn't leave a good flavor in your mouth.

Right.

It leaves you feeling bad.

Even after all the work you did and all the things that you built.

You know, I was even he even he saved offer me 5%.

Yeah, I would work with him.

I like the look, but I like the owners.

They're really nice with all the growth.

And then it comes cost cutting and all the overhead and everything else and it changes.

If you do not like me, that's fine.

I mean look, I probably not good enough for you.

That's fine.

Sure.

Just give me.

Tell me I don't need me instead of doing this.

Okay.

So let's that one as soon as.

So he took this over.

Now I have one on location.

Yeah.

So all now I know he's gonna take this location very soon.

Yeah.

Then I started looking another job.

So I was LinkedIn.

I was looking the Popeyes everywhere.

I somebody I heard they need a district management on the Rochester.

Yeah.

So I found the owner on the LinkedIn.

So I talked to him.

I told about him.

I put my resume, you know my all my experience.

He hired me in a week.

Yeah.

And he said I don't need at this moment district manager.

But he said I need.

You can start with the one story 70 almost high 60.

70,000 Potential.

But right now 45.

He said it was 60,000 70,000 before but now was only 40 to 45.

So he brought me I over a week I got the with I Got the apartment without looking again.

I got the house.

I mean I'm telling you, you got to start looking at apartments.

So I have no time.

My life is like on the move.

I can't, I cannot stop.

Like I'm getting his risk every time.

Yeah.

So the store you got what location is that?

Is that the one I.

Okay.

Regional.

Okay.

No, no.

Ridge Road.

Oh, Ridge Road.

Okay, so that yeah.

1000 Ridge Road.

Because that was the first one that opened up outside of what Lake Ave.

Right.

The one in the city.

That was the first one, the Ridge Road one that opened up after that.

Okay.

So I. I came here.

Right.

So.

But after that I see the district manager here other I. I can do better than there.

I can build the team, I can hire and I can make the gm.

But then I see here the problem here, here.

Like I have seen people they don't want ready people like bring some from somewhere else.

That's not sometimes work out good.

If you build it it's strong the way you want to make it.

But if you bring somebody not sometimes doesn't work out.

So I so he.

They don't they need any district manager.

So I was working nine, 10 months.

I see I don't feel like growth here because here what I see that if you know somebody like your friend you're going to give the opportunity.

They don't look at the potential like however this Rochester if you have a good food cost and labor cost they will hire you.

But they sometimes they don't care the sales.

But my management different.

I want my healthy business.

I want food cost could be 5, 10% more.

But I want to sale be increase 10% more 20% and I want to get a healthy business.

Like means you're opening on time, closing on time your customer service good.

So if people come you say you're open, but door is not closed.

Well and I think that's.

That's one of the things that people people say about, you know, Popeyes is that the consistency by location is very different and that some will deliver on time and sometimes the food will take a long time.

They won't be open when they say yeah.

And that does that takes people away from enjoying the business, enjoying what you're going for.

And I love that that was your focus.

It's like hey, we're going to be open.

When we say we're open.

We're going to turn around our food fast and we're going to serve the best quality we can within the construct of the system.

Yeah.

After I get this over.

My owner and district manager didn't have to work here one hour or didn't have to close an hour early.

Did not have to think about the employee.

Yeah.

And I didn't have my country people knew that my this country's people I work with all local people.

I didn't brought anybody with me.

No brother, nothing.

Okay.

The main point is as soon as I quit this location I heard owner had to come and pack and they hired.

Oh, why I have quit.

I tell you.

Yeah.

They hire a district manager.

They never been a district manager.

Of course they hire a district manager that was assistant manager before.

So they don't have experience even like 10% of than me.

So why I hired why he hired.

But who hired this train by my student.

Yeah.

Who is here become a statistic manager.

They were trained by my student.

Who like they remember I told you one of the student I teach.

Yeah.

He's a district manager somewhere else he teach him.

He said he wasn't even a GM before.

So why he hired as a district manager him?

Because somebody tell him he's very good.

Yeah.

But he wasn't.

Okay.

But then he started.

But the owner realized when he started one month.

But.

But that means to me you owner.

As a owner you have no potential to understand people.

You have no potential to hire people who is good.

You hire me, but you did not understand me.

But you are here somebody they don't.

They are not potential.

But you realize later even they interviewed front of me something I see he couldn't do it.

But still they hired him.

Yeah.

And that's very frustrating.

And then you're out and I and.

Oh, before I quit, I started already plan business plan.

Yeah.

I as soon as I see.

Oh, even before even hey hire district manager.

I already have my logo, company name, everything.

Let's talk about that process.

Right.

Let's talk about coming up with your own thing.

So you've been in this infrastructure for a long time, right.

Which means you have a lot of knowledge.

You know how.

You know how to run business.

Yeah, but that's all within the construct, right?

It's all within the construct of this large organization and franchising and everything else.

When you're sitting down to come up with your own thing.

Did you.

Did you know you wanted to stay in that world of, you know, checking and doing that stuff?

Did you have other things that came into your mind?

How did, how did you.

How did you make that decision about where to go into?

So here's the thing.

I had a multiple business plan on my head.

Okay.

So first, why I wanted to the restaurant.

It's Kanchik.

So yeah, why I want to start with that because I did almost whole life in this restaurant level, right?

Like, so I want to have.

It's called Footprint.

I want to leave a footprint.

Even I die, I want to leave that food as a fast food like fried chicken business.

So started up seven months ago, I think August 28th, I opened that Crown Chicks.

I open up the small location.

You know, I want to be fixed, fixed cost.

I want to be less.

So I get this location and I start up as.

Everything is there.

Just I remove the bone in chicken.

Yeah.

So again, location is over on Child street, again right off of 490, easy to get to.

So cut the bone in chicken to reduce your cook times and everything else.

And then I added, you know, the vital right now is, you know, the cheek sharma, I mean crunchy sharma, which is the, the best seller now.

And I added gyro and the chicken over right there because I'm not advertising right now on these two things.

So they're not going too much.

So right now is the chicken Sharma, which is, you know, made from the Middle east originally.

But the recipe is my.

All the chicken is recipe is my.

But the style is from the Middle East.

Yeah, let's.

Let's talk about that dish for a second.

So I've definitely seen that, seen that dish before.

And you know how I ran across you was, hey, you're.

You're on the grind on TikTok.

You know, as you, as the front person, right?

You're talking about your food, you're talking about your, you know, the crunchy chicken wraps, you're talking about the other things.

But it's you, right?

This isn't the company, this is you, right?

You're out there telling people about your food.

And yeah, you have to keep on telling the story and keep on telling the story, but let's talk about that dish, right?

So there's so many different shawarma wraps, right?

You know, every.

Every culture, every, you know, every country has a different version.

Like if I go to a Syrian place, it's a little different.

I go Lebanese.

You're getting fluffy pita.

You know, the Syrian you might get, you might get the, you know, the thinner wraps, you know, different styles.

When you were looking at that and deciding, hey, I want to do this, was it because it had the popularity that crunchy, seared on the flat top style.

Or was it something that just appealed to you?

Yeah.

So I was thinking, you know, to do this on the flat top so the.

Because this makes the crunchy.

Yeah.

Let's, let's describe the dish to people.

So if they haven't tried it yet, one, you need to go over to Crunchix and try it.

You can order ahead, you can, you can order online or just show up and order, but tell people, let's describe the dish and let's talk about the whole process.

Okay.

So this sharma is actually, it goes inside the pita bread.

It's a pita bread.

And on, on the pita bread we have an option, garlic or spicy garlic.

So we put a garlic sauce on the pita bread and then we put the lettuce and lettuce, onion and then pickles is the base.

And then we put a pomegranate malasse sauce.

Then we put the chicken.

Then there is an option.

You can do chipotle or white sauce.

This is also chipotle and white sauce and spicy garlic, regular garlic.

All the forces here, homemade.

My own recipe, which is a lot.

Of work, by the way, to do all those, to do all that work.

I mean, reducing pomegranate into that is.

It's a lot of work.

And it gets very sticky.

Yeah, you can't get away, you can't get away from that when you're making all the sauces.

You know that garlic and blending and getting it so it isn't too spicy, but it has the great texture.

But it tastes clearly of garlic.

Like all those little balancing work.

That's not insignificant, right.

It's, you know, to make, you make great tomb or great other things like that.

It takes work to do that.

Right.

In my country, you know, we want to flavor wise, smell good.

So what I see, I have eaten a lot of restaurant here around in the world, right?

Whatever.

I did it.

So I never got the taste that I wanted.

Why?

Because their food is like, I don't see real smell of the like, say cumin.

I don't feel the smell.

I love cumin.

It's.

It's such a great spice, isn't it?

That citrusy, earthy, just.

And has this interesting aromatic profile that you can't get almost anywhere else.

Like.

So for example, I'm giving you one.

So some of like say cumin, if you buy from the store, right?

You, on the powder, you smell it, you know, get that much?

No, but when, when you toast at home, on the oven.

You grind it at home, feel it, the difference.

So smell different.

It's huge.

So if you add this to your recipe, how do you feel?

Oh, it's.

It tastes.

It tastes like something, right?

It tastes like something.

It's, you know, in, you know, jarred cumin that's ground.

You don't feel anything.

You don't taste anything.

It just.

It's fine.

Yeah.

But you have to add so much more.

And when you take that extra step.

Yeah.

So that's what I.

It matters.

Yeah, that's what I did.

Yeah.

Mostly of this.

So that's why you feel smelling different.

You buy.

So I have some customer from my country.

They're saying, oh, I feel like our food.

Even though it's America here, American food.

It's not my country food, but I mixed up my country, like India, Middle east and American also, like.

Well, that's kind of also where Bangladesh is located.

Right.

It's.

It's this.

It's that melting pot of cultures.

Yeah.

Obviously it's a very large population as well, but because of where it lives geographically, and that's something I found a lot working with so many different small minority on restaurants.

When I ran nominate was when I was learning about some of the, you know, I knew a lot when I was trying food.

I didn't know when you look at it geographically, you can almost taste it before you taste it.

Like, you can know, oh, if it's located here in between these, it's going to taste somewhat in between.

And that's really cool that you get to do that.

And also make it halal for, you know, everybody.

That everybody can eat it.

Yep.

So that's recipe wise.

So basically that's for the recipe, this recipe for chicken over rice and then sharma and then gyro, same chicken.

For my fried chicken, like tenders, wings, everything is different.

Same kind of thing, but different recipe.

Let's talk about that too.

Because the work that goes into making really good, really good fried chicken.

So one, it was really good.

We had it and really enjoyed it.

That spicy garlic sauce is delightful, by the way.

It's actually spicy, which not many spicy sauces have real spice to them.

And I appreciate that you actually brought some heat.