WEBVTT - Everytable: Meals that Hit Your Price Point w/ Bryce Fluellen 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:14.440 What's up, everybody. I'm Gammy and this is Positively gam. 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:17.400 Last season, I did an episode on eating rights and 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:21.200 food inequities. This time, I want to further the conversation 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:24.560 and discuss what is being done to address this problem 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:29.479 in underrepresented neighborhoods. I'm excited to have food justice veteran 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:33.600 Bryce flew Ellen joined me on today's episode. So let's 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:37.240 get into it. Bryce flew Ellen is a community change 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:40.720 maker and has fought for food justice and social equity 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:45.400 for more than twenty years, developing and implementing strategic programs 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:50.519 at Starbucks, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the American Heart Association 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:55.680 to drive systemic change to benefit underserved populations and communities. 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.960 He joined Every Table to lead its pioneering social equity 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:05.600 franchise program. Welcome Bryce to Positively gam. Hey, good to 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:08.160 see you, glad to be here, Thank you, glad to 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:11.400 joined us today. I'm so excited to have you because 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:16.800 I actually heard about Every Table first on Spectrum one 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:20.280 News and that's what brought you. Yeah, I brought this 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:23.440 to my attention. But before we really get into it, 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:28.199 let's just start by telling me everyone, what is every Table? Yeah? 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:30.360 That's great, gam I mean every Table was a Los 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:34.760 Angeles based mission driven food company whose mission is to 0:01:35.640 --> 0:01:39.280 transform the food system and make nutritious food accessible and 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:43.240 available to everyone everywhere. Wow, So what kind of food 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:47.039 are they selling? It's a company, but is it a restaurant? Yeah, 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.160 that's great. I mean we serve chef prepared food every 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.920 day and so it's grabbing go. So we have an 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:56.160 interesting model. So all of our food is made in 0:01:56.320 --> 0:01:59.080 a commissary fresh every day. We have a thirty thousand 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.120 foot commissary in the city of Vernon, which is right 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:07.640 behind downtown l A. All the food is cooked, prepared, packaged, uh, 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:11.280 and distributed into So we have several different channels where 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.880 people can interact and consume our food. We have restaurants 0:02:14.919 --> 0:02:18.280 stores uh here. To date, we have twenty three in 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:21.040 Los Angeles right now. We hope to have sixty by 0:02:21.080 --> 0:02:23.400 the end of the year. Uh. And then we also 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:26.760 have a subscription service, so Gammy, that really took off 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:29.320 during COVID Go back to two thousand nineteen. I know 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:31.560 a lot of people like to forget, but in two 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:34.520 thousand nineteen, right before the pandemic hit, we had started 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.400 a subscription. We had about two hundred customers and now 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:40.080 year today we have about five to six thousand. We 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:42.400 also have a food service division, so we have a 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:45.480 number of contracts with the Department of Aging where we're 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:49.600 servicing and serving seniors. We have UH Santa Monica College 0:02:49.639 --> 0:02:52.800 where we get food to food and secure teenagers and 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.560 in college students. And then we also have smart vending 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:59.000 machines that are in businesses as well, so we have 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.200 our We're trying to be eat the customer wherever they 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:05.920 are again, where they are. This is fantastic. This is fantastic. 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:09.200 How did you even find out about Every Table? Yeah, 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:12.080 this is serendipitous and you appreciate this. It speaks to 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:14.880 the power of relationships, right and that we don't do 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:18.600 anything without the support of others. I actually met Sam 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:21.160 polk Or, a CEO and founder when I was working 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:23.840 at American Heart Association and previous to Every Table, he 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.320 had a nonprofit called Feast provide a nutrition education in 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:29.840 the under serve areas in South l A. The school 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.800 and program that I ran through American Heart Association. I'm 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:35.680 a chef by trade, so I was teaching young kids 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:37.560 how to eat healthy, how to prepare it in a 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:40.360 healthy manner, and he had started Feast at the same 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:44.160 high school manual Arts. So one of the community of 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:46.600 recent members within the school sent me a white paper 0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:48.440 and say, hey, what do you think about this program? 0:03:48.480 --> 0:03:51.240 They want to use one of our bungalows. I said, hey, 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:54.400 you know it's needed. Tell them if you ever need somebody, 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:57.640 I'll come and do a demo whatever it is and 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.520 talk nutrition. And he brought me in and we built 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:03.200 a relationship there, Gammy, and so then you fast forward 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:07.360 two thousand and fifteen, he started every table. So Feast 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:09.480 was the impetus of every table because a lot of 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:13.200 the participants would say, hey, we would love to eat healthier, saying, 0:04:13.720 --> 0:04:18.160 but everything in our community is fast food stuff that 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:20.760 you can get from the liquor store. Plus the fast 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:24.279 food hits our price point. It's convenient. If you can 0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.120 make something that can compete with that is a healthier 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:30.480 then we would consume it. And so he created every 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:33.320 table and I said, he congratulations. So then you fast 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:35.920 forward again. Gave me a call and said I have 0:04:36.040 --> 0:04:39.159 this social equity franchise program that I've had a vision 0:04:39.200 --> 0:04:41.279 for and kind of started raising money in two thousand 0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:44.680 and eighteen. Now is the time to coundify it, scale it. 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.320 I think you'd be the right person and and it 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:49.720 was right in alignment with my values, Gammy, And it 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.400 was really an opportunity. As you know, there's so many 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:56.960 problems in this world, but what we need is solutions. Rightly, 0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.600 this is a piece of that solution to provide healthier 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.880 food and more nutritious food in areas across the country, 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:06.800 and at a price point like our meals are between 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.680 five to nine dollars, Like you're not gonna get that anywhere. Yeah, 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:13.320 that's this is fantastic. This is just fantastic. So I 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:15.560 wanted to share a statistic that I found to be 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:20.919 pretty profound and not surprising. According to the Annual Business Survey, 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.520 only about eighteen percent of US businesses where minority owned 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:29.520 in Why do you think that's so low? I mean, 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:34.240 my my assessment of it would be lack of funding. 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:39.280 You know, as African Americans particularly, we're not able to 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.400 secure loans. Can you speak to that? And I think 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.000 you hit the nail on the head. I mean, there's 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:45.840 a couple of reasons, but that's one of the main 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:51.120 is that access to capital traditional capital, bank capital, but 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:53.280 also and This is part of you know, why I'm 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:55.920 so proud to be, you know, leading this social equity 0:05:56.000 --> 0:06:00.160 franchise program is that also, you know, generational wealth, A 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.760 lot of minorities, particularly black people, we don't come from 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:05.800 generational wealth. We can lean on a family member. I 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:07.880 think I heard Jeff Bezos say I think it was 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:10.200 him who said, hey, my parents gave me three four 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:14.560 hundred thousand dollars to start Amazon, and so that is 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:16.280 a lot of money that I have a lot of 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:19.800 money if we don't have access to that, right, and 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:22.320 we could be here forever talking about the reasons why right, 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:25.440 systemic issues and racism. But I think that is a 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:27.480 big piece. And then the last I've seen also that 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:30.039 a part of this is like not having access or 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:33.039 mentors or people that you know that in your circle. 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:35.960 I actually was an entrepreneur have my own catering business 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:38.719 for eight years, and I had to borrow money small 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:40.920 amount of money from my father and then I had 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:43.359 to use credit cards. But as I look back on 0:06:43.400 --> 0:06:46.240 that experience, you know, I was under capitalized. I didn't 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:49.080 have the working capital that would help get me through 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:51.640 those times. You know where you're in the red, right, 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:54.040 you just don't have the money coming in. So those 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:55.600 are a couple of three of the issues. But I 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:58.000 think that what you identified as a big thing is like, 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:01.520 we don't have that access to additional bank capital. A 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:04.159 lot of banks don't want to take risk because we 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.599 may not have collateral, we may not have the homeownership 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.520 numbers and and things of that nature. Right, But I 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:12.960 think you you talked about mentorship, and I think mentorship 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:16.160 is very important too. We don't have the resources, but 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.880 we also don't have people to set an example for us, 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.720 people that we can go to for advice and that 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:25.960 we see in our own families a lot of times, 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:29.640 So that's important too. Now you're working on something to 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.120 directly combat this issue. You were brought on as the 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:37.920 new executive director at Every Table Social Equity Franchise Program 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:41.200 to build out a team to support their new innovative 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:45.440 social equity franchise program. Can you explain that. I think 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:49.320 you call it the Every Table University. Yeah, every Table, 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:51.440 I'll explain it to you. Try to make it plain 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.680 and simple as I can. Every Table University. Is this 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:59.080 the training program for the social equity franchise program. And 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:02.040 so if you look at your Aditionally, gammy franchising a 0:08:02.080 --> 0:08:04.840 lot of industries has been an industry of privilege where 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:07.360 you had to access to capital to get in the game. 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:09.880 On the low end, you need to have at least 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:12.520 fifty thousand in a lot of cases. On the high end, 0:08:12.520 --> 0:08:16.000 if you think about a McDonald's single franchise McDonald's, you 0:08:16.000 --> 0:08:18.160 have to have about one to two million dollars of 0:08:18.200 --> 0:08:20.680 your own money and and a net worth about a 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:25.400 half a million as well to start a franchise. Yeah, 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:27.640 the McDonald's, and obviously that's on the high end. They're 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:31.120 one of the most successful franchise companies in the history, right, 0:08:31.560 --> 0:08:34.240 But that's just one unit, and even fifty thousand on 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:36.560 the low end, that's a lot of money for people. 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:39.800 As we talked about earlier of not having right. So 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:43.520 we understood that the intersection between food and equity, and 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:46.120 I listened to your last podcast where you had you 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:49.600 talked about food injustice and food and equity, food apartheid, 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:52.200 that you know, we understand the intersection between that and 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:55.240 economic inequity as well, right, And so at the heart 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:57.480 of what we're trying to do is transform the food system. 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.200 So we have a vision to also transform in the 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:04.400 franchise system and put ownership opportunities in the hands of 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.520 people of color who haven't traditionally been able to get 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:10.839 in the game. So that is the simple vision of it. 0:09:11.240 --> 0:09:14.000 Now here's the beauty of this program. You do not 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:18.640 have to have any money up front, no money up front, 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:22.480 There's no strings behind this, nothing hidden behind this. I'll 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.760 explain it to you. So we are looking for individuals 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:28.640 who have not, like I said, had an opportunity, have 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:30.720 not been able to get in the game. Do not 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:33.480 have to have five to ten years business experience, but 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:36.640 maybe they have one to two. They've been a supervisor, 0:09:36.679 --> 0:09:39.800 they've been an assistant manager, They've always had dreams of 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:42.040 owning their own business but thought it was out of reach. 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:47.319 You have a hospitality mindset that you really care about 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:50.600 taking care of guests, and we can teach the other things. 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.120 Because one of the things about our our brand GAMM 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:55.280 is that, like I said earlier, all the food is 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.120 pre made and made before it comes into store, so 0:09:58.160 --> 0:10:00.920 you don't have to run a kitchen. You're basically have 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:04.400 an opportunity to really Greek guests and learn the business 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.280 and learn how to grow the business. And so if 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:09.880 you go through a five stage interview process and if 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:12.920 you get accepted into the program, you'll be trained for 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:16.440 eight to trained for eight to twelve months, you'll become 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:18.520 a manager, and then at the end of that training 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.679 you will have the opportunity to own a franchise. If 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:24.320 once you own it, you sign onto a franchise agreement 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:26.960 and you pay us back over five years of the 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:29.840 build out costs and every table, which is between two 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:32.600 hundred seventy five to three hundred thousand, but you do 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:36.119 not start paying that back until the business is profitable 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:40.120 and it's patient. You know, the payments are non linear, 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:43.560 meaning like the first year you're you are received positive 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:45.560 cash flow, the payments are really low, and then once 0:10:45.600 --> 0:10:50.040 you pay it off, you own the business outright. There 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:54.520 is no collateral required either. Games it's almost too good 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:59.880 to be true. I get that. Like, so what determined 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:03.760 what profitable is? Yeah, that's a great question. So we 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:07.720 look at having at least eight months of positive EBADA, 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:11.960 which stands for earnings before interest, tax and appreciation. So 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:14.520 once you get your franchise and you start to receive 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:16.760 a positive cash flow, at least you know, six to 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:19.480 eight months in a row. Then you start paying back 0:11:19.520 --> 0:11:22.320 those payments on on the loan that we give and 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.120 this patient capital. So I'll explain to you how we 0:11:25.120 --> 0:11:28.120 were able to do this, Gabby, which is really transformative. Yeah, 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:32.880 because it seems like like companies like McDonald's and some 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:37.920 of these other franchises have plenty of money and it 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:41.200 just seems like there's no reason why other companies shouldn't 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:43.839 be doing this. So so continue and explain to us. 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.840 But you have to have the vision and you have 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:48.960 to have the courageous leadership to want to do it. Yes, 0:11:49.280 --> 0:11:52.160 because you're investing in people who have been divested from 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:55.920 for years and almost in centuries. So we are. Sam 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.559 was able through his experience at feast of the nonprofit 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:01.559 that he had, he reached search what's called p r I, 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:05.720 which stands for program related investments. Foundations have assets of 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:10.359 about a trillion dollars right all the foundations in this country. 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:13.520 They usually invest They usually give out grants. You know, 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:15.840 grants are not you know right off, what they have 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:18.800 they can do investments means they can actually invest in 0:12:18.880 --> 0:12:22.280 your company, public benefit corporation, or social enterprise like we 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:24.800 are from a tax code perspective and we have a 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.760 mission which is to transform the food system and then 0:12:27.800 --> 0:12:31.600 with the Social Equity Franchise program, to provide more opportunities 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:34.240 for people of color who haven't had that. So we 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:37.760 started going to foundations back in two thousand and eighteen 0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:41.160 and received and a small investment from Kellogg Foundation for 0:12:41.200 --> 0:12:44.679 about one point five million, and through that experience just 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.040 continue to do that into the year to date, we've 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:50.160 been able to raise almost seven million in a mix 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:53.400 of program related investments and then grants. The thing about 0:12:53.440 --> 0:12:56.679 program related investments gamming is that typically to interest rate, 0:12:56.720 --> 0:13:00.640 the foundation's charge is anywhere from zero percent at nothing 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:04.199 or two. So it's paid its patient capital, and it's 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:06.760 capital they want to get out into the free market 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.000 and the hopes that they'll invest that they'll get their 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:13.000 investment back and then they'll keep investing that money, right, 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.280 and it's an alignment whatever that foundation's values are. So 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:19.480 with Kellogg, they have a real, you know, big push 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:23.160 around equity, particularly around food equity. One of our other 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:27.719 investors and and Berg really into providing economic opportunities for 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:30.959 people of color who have been disadvantaged. So that's how 0:13:31.000 --> 0:13:34.160 we're able to you know, create this opportunity for this program, 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:36.000 and we just see it as it's going to be 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:39.280 central to who we are as a company in a 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:41.679 large amount. And so you'll look up four or five 0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:44.040 years from now, Gammy and Division, and my job is 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:47.560 four or five years now, we'll have sixty or plus, 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:50.319 you know owners who will be black and brown people. 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:53.520 That's amazing. So how many people have gone through the 0:13:53.559 --> 0:13:57.199 program so far? Yeah, we currently have six that are 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:01.480 in the program. They are anticipated to become franchise owners 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:05.000 this summer, late July, early August, so they would be 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.400 setting this is the history into making. They would be 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:10.800 the first six, and then we have another four anticipated 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:15.160 fore and then you know, we have we're raising a 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:18.760 significant amount of money. I can't get full full details, 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.600 but we're in the process of raving raising another significant 0:14:21.600 --> 0:14:23.840 and out of amount of money that would help us 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:28.080 have about sixty to seventy associaequity franchise owners in the 0:14:28.080 --> 0:14:31.280 next four or five years. Wow. So but this is 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:35.520 just right here in Los Angeles, right yeah, right now, 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:38.440 it's in l A where we have plans as a company. 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:41.440 We're actually going to New York this summer and about 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.520 a month or so, so our plans and our vision 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:46.440 is that once we get New York up and running, 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:50.080 to try to take this program to New York three 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:52.960 or twenty probably early, and so then we would have 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.600 social equity franchise program in New York. But right now 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:59.120 to your main question is in Los Angeles and he 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:03.120 plans to go to Baltimore. Hey, you put it out there, 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:06.440 you put it out there. I mean, we are testiperate, 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:11.040 we are desperate in Baltimore. We are in Baltimore. I 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:13.000 mean we have plans. You know, we're gonna go to 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:16.920 New York and then we have plans to go you know. Yeah, 0:15:17.080 --> 0:15:20.600 it's called Baltimore. I think about it. I love Baltimore. 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:23.000 I went to school in the d C. So I 0:15:23.040 --> 0:15:26.680 have love for you know, Yeah, Baltimore needs help. Multimore 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:31.400 needs help because this feels like something that other businesses 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:35.080 and other companies could be part of. I mean, I 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:37.400 hope is that we do have people who copycat where 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:39.960 we're doing. There's some folks out in the marketplace that 0:15:40.000 --> 0:15:42.440 are doing some things similar. You know, I'm a part 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:45.160 of you know, I read the Trades National Restaurant magazine, 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:47.880 and there are a few smaller brands or brands of 0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:50.240 our size that are doing it. There's also I know 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:54.760 Taco Bell has created something similar for their franchising as well. 0:15:54.800 --> 0:15:57.880 But I think to your point, we hope we wipe. 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:01.080 People see this and they're inspired and they want to 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:03.320 do it and implement and in their industry, not only 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.960 a food but across the board. Because I know you 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:08.840 you and I understand that, Hey, you talked about earlier 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:12.120 the ownership piece of minorities owning businesses and the number 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:14.440 what it was, so we know that there's a huge 0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:16.760 opportunity and a huge gap. And I just think that, 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:19.560 like I said, it takes peak courageous leadership. It takes 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:23.400 leadership that's committed after the moment. I say that again, 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.360 committed after the moment, because as you know, during the 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:29.400 pandemic and after the uprisings, there were a lot of 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:31.880 people who said that they wanted to do certain things 0:16:31.880 --> 0:16:36.240 and they made commitments. But I say, hey, after the commitment, 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:39.120 you still have to where is everybody. You gotta do 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:42.440 the work. You gotta do the work. So we're committed 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:44.360 to We're putting in a lot of work and a 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:46.960 lot of sweat equity to make sure that we follow 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:50.360 through on our promise and we create economic mobility and 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.480 wealth for those people that are being the program. Now, 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:56.800 there was one young lady that I saw that was 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.720 in the news clip that I saw. D. How is 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:02.400 she doing? Where does she stand with the program right now? 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:06.200 Because she was close, she was close to graduating and 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:11.120 becoming an owner? Is that correct? D? Isn't that six? Okay? Okay? 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:13.760 So let me tell you about DA. I mean D 0:17:13.760 --> 0:17:17.680 had She and embodies what we talked about and what 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:20.080 we want here at every table. And she has actually 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:22.840 had a tremendous impact not only on me, but in 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:25.760 the store that she opened up and that she's opening 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:28.120 and running now and she's been there since this inception 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:32.919 in Compton. She is that every Table store in company. Yeah, 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:37.280 so I would say that, but D has done. D 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:41.440 has created a community, She has grown that store. If 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:43.320 you go to that store and you meet people, they 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:46.439 will talk about who D is. They'll ask for D. 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:50.440 So she is what we want and what we look 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:53.240 for it and I can't wait until she becomes an owner. 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:56.480 She's she opened the store in Compton about four years 0:17:56.480 --> 0:17:59.359 ago as a company owned store. But we had just 0:17:59.400 --> 0:18:02.480 talked about her as a team like D is that story. 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:05.119 I mean, when you walk into that store, she greets 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.639 you with a smile. She you know, make sure that 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.520 you're taken care of, make sure you walk out that 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:12.520 you're going to walk out and tell somebody else you 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:14.480 need to go to every table, not just for the food, 0:18:14.480 --> 0:18:17.600 but just for the whole experience that hospitality and treating 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:20.320 like treating people like they're in your own home. And 0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:22.720 so I said, a lot of people in the community 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:24.880 when they think of the Competence Store and every table, 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:27.320 they think of D. And so I'm really proud of, 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.080 you know, how she's grown in the program throughout training. 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:32.840 But like I said, she's had a tremendous impact on 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:35.280 me and every table since she's been here. And so 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.800 my job and the job of other folks within the 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.600 company is to make sure that she becomes a franchise 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.280 owner and that she's successful in that, and we're really 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:45.159 able to help her see her vision. I mean, she 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:47.480 has a vision of you know, creating a legacy for 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:50.600 her family. Oh man, this just I mean, I had 0:18:50.640 --> 0:18:53.199 the biggest smile on my face. This just makes my 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:55.840 heart feel good. I think I'm gonna have to go 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:59.919 visit D and I'm gonna have to go stop by everything. 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:12.240 Can you describe some of the meals that are offered? Wow? So, Gammy, 0:19:12.320 --> 0:19:14.680 we have hot bowls. I just want to tell you 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:16.520 about one and then I'll get into the whole menu. 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:20.119 So we have a chicken creole gravy bowl that was 0:19:20.160 --> 0:19:23.520 actually created in partnership one of my favorite restaurants in 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.719 l a Posting Beam Ball Hills area, right next to 0:19:26.800 --> 0:19:30.800 the Debbie Allen's dance studio. So we created that meal 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:35.359 last Black History that's February with chef Ron Cleveland over there, 0:19:35.800 --> 0:19:37.320 And I don't know if you've ever been there, but 0:19:37.480 --> 0:19:41.040 I mean this meal is, you know, roasted chicken with 0:19:41.160 --> 0:19:45.960 a creole gravy collar, greens, brown rice, red beans. This 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:47.720 is an eight dollar meal if you went to the 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:51.040 Posting Beam or to another restaurant. This is like meals, 0:19:51.880 --> 0:19:53.560 so you can get it from us from eight dollars 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.240 six to eight dollars. So we have hot bowls. We 0:19:56.320 --> 0:20:00.000 also have salads. We have this free got this got 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.600 a salad, this chicken gotta salad. That's one of my favorites. 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:06.439 We also have breakfast items and then we also carry juice. 0:20:06.520 --> 0:20:09.000 We have started our juice line last April, so we 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:11.200 have our own fresh juice. We have a beet juice 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.879 that's delicious. I know when I was I love beats. Beats, Yeah, 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:17.640 I love beats. I know when I was growing up, 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:21.960 I could I could not stand beats. Most people don't 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:25.879 like beats, but I love beats. So this beat juice 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:30.000 is amazing. And then we have desserts, some healthy desserts, 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:34.040 vegan cookies, some healthy snacks, you know, chips and snacks, 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:36.760 so we have a variety of meals that for everybody. Well, 0:20:36.880 --> 0:20:40.400 this is just amazing. And I'm telling you you can 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:42.639 tell d that I'm gonna come and visit her and 0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:46.320 in her store. Thank you so much for joining us today. 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:48.440 I'm just so excited about the program. And I was 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:52.280 gonna tell you that, you know, I think that you 0:20:52.280 --> 0:20:55.520 you should be doing your own line of food products. 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:58.399 I still got time, I still have time. But I 0:20:58.440 --> 0:21:02.240 think what you're doing now, right now is so impactful 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:06.800 to the community that like you were made for this. 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:10.359 I appreciate that. Yeah, and this is this work is 0:21:10.440 --> 0:21:14.080 so important. So thank you so much, Thank you so much. 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:16.720 Now I want you to do one last thing though, 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:20.080 I want you to go over once again. What are 0:21:20.160 --> 0:21:23.000 the things that you are looking for people that could 0:21:23.080 --> 0:21:27.600 qualify for this kind of program. Yeah. Yeah, we're looking 0:21:27.640 --> 0:21:30.119 for somebody who has at least one to two years 0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:36.000 of retail, restaurant hospitality operations experience. Someone that could do 0:21:36.440 --> 0:21:38.840