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“ We started out in 2010 in New Jersey, originally in a location that was shared with a bagel shop,” Tom begins, reflecting on the journey thus far.“ Right after I graduated from college, I was looking to get into the restaurant business with a late-night concept because there was virtually no competition. After getting some quotes, we didn’ t have the money to build out a full restaurant, so I approached a local bagel shop and was able to negotiate a deal where I came in after they closed at night and operated the Fat Shack concept from 6pm until 3am out of their shop. I got the whole thing started for around $ 5000, serving burgers, sandwiches and late-night favorites.
“ In 2011, my family in Colorado convinced me to move out to Loveland and I was able to open the first Fat Shack in Fort Collins near Colorado State University; I opened the store and just grinded it out for the next couple of years building up the business. In 2013, Kevin quit his corporate job and moved to Colorado, and he and I started building Fat Shack together. We opened our first store together in Boulder in 2013 and then started franchising in 2015. In the beginning, we’ d find people within our existing team
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