Shaz Khan of Tono Pizzeria & Cheesesteaks on Navigating Friendship + Business

Takeaways from this episode:

Proactive Growth is Useful — Shaz Khan started Tono Pizzeria & Cheesesteaks with his best pal, Antonio Gambino. It is frequently to under no circumstances combine pals or loved ones with small business, but Khan, Gambino, and crew did the essential get the job done early to assist navigate the tricky times of accomplishing just that.

Brand name Traction is a Lengthy Perform — In a local weather where going viral and instantaneous fame seems to acquire precedence, Shaz Khan understands that a dependable client foundation connects most effective to an reliable story.

Scale Simply cannot Be the Only Evaluate of Success — Shaz Khan and Antonio Gambino have been strategic when it comes to constructing their staff. With have confidence in as the basis, the journey of scaling has grow to be the success story.

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Shaz Khan is aware the old adage of not mixing mates and loved ones with enterprise or income. But when he started a cafe organization he realized how to blend all four.

Shaz Khan was an electrical engineer by trade before having on the restaurant market with his greatest close friend.

“The difficulties are a lot of, and I imagine I was underprepared for many of them,” Shaz Khan suggests of likely into enterprise with his mate, Antonio Gambino. “So we obtained really distinct on what issues we need to have to ask and what design and style of interaction we needed to carry out in get to convey almost everything.”

The duo started their cafe journey by opening Andrea Pizza and Frank from Philly separately. Tono Pizzeria & Cheesesteak brings together the two cuisines beneath a single roof, and destinations the concentrate on the dining knowledge in a speedy-everyday atmosphere.

The Minnesota-based restaurant now has four locations across the condition, and Khan has used his engineering track record to put into action efficient expansion strategies.

“Component of the scaling conversation is logistics and methods,” Shaz Khan tells Cafe Influencers podcast host Shawn P. Walchef of CaliBBQ Media.

One of these units was to handpick workforce to make sure the small business scales productively. Deciding to go with buddies that have a precise ability set that could be utilized to even further the brand.

“We understood these two people had been not only truly great good friends of ours, also having terrific acumen, but also bringing a piece of the puzzle to the crew for us to go on to grow and scale.” claims Khan of the individuals he chose to get started forming his staff.

As strategic as they may have been, Khan and enterprise nonetheless confronted problems when escalating and introducing restaurants. Once again, Khan’s knowledge of processes thanks his official education has built him pliable adequate to recognize that people procedures are not composed in stone and may perhaps require to be tweaked as enterprise requires improve.

That consists of switching to Toast merchandise to aid the techniques put in position come to be much more successful. Shaz Khan’s means to offer important suggestions has helped Tono Pizzeria and Cheesesteaks growth and allowed him to be on the Toast Purchaser Advisory Board.

As the Tono manufacturer thrives, it is essential to Khan to continue to be reliable and understand the story that his manufacturer is telling. According to him, that tale is what produces the relationship that triggers the migration of probable consumers to ones who desire one particular manufacturer above a different.

“We make guaranteed that every thing about the model, from the hues to the logo to the foods, to the food, to the working experience, to the scent, I imply, anything is consultant of what that tale is and what working experience we want people to dwell with.” Khan claims.

Lengthy play. Actionable techniques based on info derived from placing units into position and making necessary changes when essential.

That is the framework of sustainability that has propelled Shaz Khan and Tono Pizzeria and Cheesesteaks to the stage they are today, and the continued ascension that is on the horizon.

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