Making the Leap from the Corporate World to Restaurant Ownership

September, 18, 2015 – Next week, restaurant brokers Eric and Robin Gagnon talk with about making the leap from corporate America to the restaurant business. The Restaurant Broker Radio Show features Tiffanee Siri Ellman, who went from working for The Neiman Marcus Group to owning a group of restaurants with her husband, and David Yoo who transitioned from being an artist at a premier studio to creating his own ice cream shop in New York City.
 
Have you ever wondered if leaving the security of your job to become a restaurant owner would be worth it?  Owning a restaurant is hard work and the restaurant brokers ask these entrepreneurs why they did it.  Tiffanee and David discuss what inspired them to leave their six figure jobs and work for themselves; what they did before they even started in the industry; and what keeps them going. Tiffanee says it becomes "something you just can't turn off" and David adds that potential owners need to "be prepared to work." 
 
Many buyers go into restaurant ownership thinking they can get it started and then let it run, but our guests say this is not the case. David Yoo says he learned that running Davey’s Ice Cream is “30% ice cream and 70% business.”  And Tiffanee Ellman says it’s best to go in with savings or an investor because “you WILL make mistakes.”
 
Robin and Eric also discuss the roles of social media and criticism with David and Tiffanee; how Internet reviews can help or hurt a restaurant, and what the other methods these owners use to gather customer feedback are. Tiffanee professes to having "a love/hate relationship with Yelp," while David explains that he spends a lot of time in his store listening to customers. Listen to the entire show on GLN the Good Living Network next week, Monday at 2pm EST and Tuesday at 9PM EST.
 
This Week’s Guests:
 
Tiffanee Siri Ellman, Apheleia Restaurant Group:
 
Tiffanee is co-owner of the Apheleia Restaurant Group.  She co-founded and developed the Sam Moon Home Decor Store, a multimillion-dollar enterprise within the privately owned Sam Moon Group in Dallas. She later transitioned to premier luxury retailing in the specialty retail stores sector of The Neiman Marcus Group, training under the company’s renowned executive development programs for both department managers and merchandising. She left the retail sector several years ago to open three of the Dallas Design District’s most sought-after restaurants along with her husband Richard Ellman. Collectively, the Apheleia Restaurant Group, includes Oak, Pakpao, and the Belly & Trumpet restaurant in Dallas.
 

David Yoo, Davey’s Ice Cream

David Yoo is owner and “ice cream dude” of Davey’s Ice Cream.  David graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York City and previously worked as a graphic designer before seeking out an alternative medium for his creativity. David started his own brand of ultra-premium handmade ice cream all