We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Simone Lawson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Simone below.

Simone, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Dinner in the Pines at FigMINT Farms

Sassool has an outdoor venue in Apex, NC, called FigMINT Farms. This is also where the restaurant garden lives I wanted to create an event partnering with Sassool that guests could experience at FigMINT. Wanting to shift the perspective of the property into space that can accommodate all kinds of events and gatherings. My sister and I put our ideas together to create a dinner experience called Dinner in the Pines. We created the food details, like a family style dinner served in the dreamy pine groves and then added in activities that showcased the property throughout the evening. One of the coolest things we’ve with the group are a floating lantern release into our pond at sunset.

These ticket dinner experience has given the venue increased and sustained interest in the property, and we’ve tightened our relationships with supporting vendors in the process. But being that we are 100% outside at the venue, there have been plenty of challenges. Some elements we had to learn to adapt to on the fly were pests, severe wind, and property signs.

It took us about one week to pull the concept together, then another week to confirm details with rentals. We’ve hosted about 70 guests each dinner, including a few influencers and family friends. We host six ticketed dinner experiences a year, but have added a Signature Dinner in the Pines Rental Package to our venue offerings as well. The idea has become a wonderful and unique experience that locals are really enjoying. Brand awareness is increasing and we are continuing to improve the venue to make it more comfortable for all guests.

Simone, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have the privilege to be in business with my dad and sister. We created Sassool, a Mediterranean fast casual restaurant, in 2011, with the menu inspired and attributed to my Grandmother (her nickname was Sassool). We offer a wide variety of very fresh Mediterranean salads, dips, hot specialties, grilled items like kabobs and shawarma, and pizzettes (think pita pizzas!). The menu is fresh, healthy and well suited for guests who are mindful about the ingredients in their food– we are very transparent about our ingredients and preparation process, keeping everything simple, tasty and made with care.

I got started in business with my dad, naturally, as he has always been in the restaurant business and working with him as a kid was my way of spending time with him. My sister was the same way. As we went to college and started thinking about our future, we both felt called to continue in the food industry, as hospitality and feeding people is the way that we have learned to show love.

Working at Sassool has been taken every skill I knew I had and has unearthed ones that I didn’t know I had. As we opened, we found ourselves wearing every hat and being in every role of the restaurant– the front, the kitchen AND all the admin tasks. But as we have grown over the years, we have learned that it is crucial to growth and team strength to focus on one or a couple roles and teach others to do the other tasks… this is the only way that I (or my sister and dad) have enough mental capacity to do our jobs well AND to think strategically about the business.

We have another location now (Raleigh and Cary) and we are doing better than ever. But every day still requires all of my effort, all of my passion, and also my ears open. Listening to your customers AND your team to hear feedback is the key to hanging on to your employees, becoming a better employer and becoming the best restaurant that we can be!

My specific role in the business is managing the Brand…. so I do all the marketing, the social media, the signage, the menus,… as well as employee training, and official company documents. Recently (since 2023) we opened FigMINT Farms, an outdoor venue at the property where our mint garden resides. I manage the property and the rentals for this as well. My days are never boring and never focused on one task, but I love it. I love seeing the business grow and seeing my “fingerprint” on several changes/improvements.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up as the daughter of an immigrant and restaurant owner, I learned that hard work is essential. I also developed this understanding that if you weren’t always working, you were lazy. So going into business with my dad days after I graduated college, I did what I knew best… I put my head down and worked my butt off. I was putting in about 90 hours a week, felt very stressed and often broke down after work when I arrived back at my apartment.

It was after a few years of operating this way that I realized I was not doing myself any favors. I was not able to see real issues that we were dealing with, because my head was down, and I was too busy finishing tactical tasks all day long. I had erased my social life, which didn’t help my mental state or stress level. And the team I worked with knew that they could off load lots of work to me, because I would never say no. We became a weak team because everyone was relying on me to get the work done and didn’t learn to do the tasks.

We had an HR coach bring this flaw to my attention and it honestly has been a process for about a decade, to totally change the way I operate. But every month, every year since that time, has gotten better. I have learned to become a leader. I have become better and the roles that I am responsible for. I have become a more calm, less stressed person. And I am able to think more strategically and handle issues without feeling like I was wrapped up in them. It has been a difficult process because I have associated my worth to how much work I do, for so long.

Being able to separate from that cycle has made things a lot clearer. I can see the contributions I am making to the company. I am proud of it. I constantly find ways to encourage myself to stay in the strategic role, to teach team members how to be accountable for their work, and to inspire everyone to work smarter, not harder.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is a big way that we stay connected to our customer and community, as it is for many businesses. We’ve had the most success acquiring followers and engaging our audience when we find ways to connect with our audience.

First, we had to understand “who is our audience?” “what do they like/what are they looking for from restaurant/how do they eat meals?” Questions like this made us understand what kind of content would connect with the people seeing it.

Then collaborating with local foodies and influencers to give us extra exposure or to highlight something new has always been great for giving our audience size a little boost. We like to work with partners strategically so that we are showcasing special things or events… trying to capitalize on their efforts and reach.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sassool.com
• Instagram: sassoolcafe
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sassoolcafe/
• Linkedin: sassoolcafe
• Twitter: sassoolcafe
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theflavorfulllifewithsimon7679
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sassool-cary

Image Credits

Stacey Sprenz
Carolina Stamey