David ’ s Burgers
“ I was busy working as an internal bank appraiser ,” he recalls . “ But then , not too long after CJ ’ s opened , I found a restaurant for sale . I remember it well . It stood out to me because it had been vacant for five years , just sitting there , which struck me as unusual .
“ Of course , I began to think about what it could become . You see , although I wasn ’ t part of the restaurant trade at the time , I was learning an awful lot about business through the corporate world . I knew how to make deals , how to talk to people , and how to instill values across an organization .
“ I saw the success burger joints were having in my family , so I took the plunge and made an offer ,” he remembers . “ That ’ s where it all began ! Looking back now , I must give a lot of credit to my wife . If she didn ’ t say , ‘ Go for it ,’ because of everything I had on at the time with work and school , then we might not be talking now .
“ But she gave me her complete support , and from then on , I knew it was going to work . When a husband brings his wife an idea , and she gives it the green light , he can ’ t fail .
“ With her blessing , it was like she pushed me out of the phonebooth , tied a cape round my shoulders , and turned me into Superman ! Having a spouse believe in you is the real motivator .”
Suddenly , a 29-year-old Alan was the owner of an empty restaurant . He had no choice but to get to work . By pooling savings , loans , and credit , the first David ’ s Burgers successfully opened its doors in 2010 , and , as was always the case , Alan ’ s father was by his side to help make it happen . “ I ’ m very grateful for my father ,” reflects Alan . “ For starters , he ’ s one of the main reasons behind the success of the company . When we were starting out , he ’ d often say , ‘ Remember , Alan , always do the little things right .’
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