We were lucky to catch up with Victor Valdivieso recently and have shared our conversation below.

Victor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I am currently 41 years old, and started the food truck Victor’s Lab in 2020 shortly after my 35th birthday, so about six years ago. My wife and I had just had our son, and only a year earlier moved into our first house. Fresh off a furlough from COVID – including everyone else basically in the hospitality and restaurant industries – it was a very scary time. But also the best thing that ever happened to me. I had always dreamed of opening my own restaurant for as long as I can remember but always too comfortable in my current situation to actually make the leap. All the what-if’s and how-to’s that were constantly front and center to the idea of working for myself, owning my own business, being my own boss. But like I said, I was furloughed, and for how long at the time no-one knew, so we leaped into unknown territory head first. What did we have to lose at that point? I was already not working. So instead I went to work on the beat up food truck I bought for next to nothing but boy did it have a lot of work it needed done to it?!?! That alone took months. By the time the restaurant asked me back to work after the furlough was over, the food truck was ready to run, so I was at a crossroads – go back to what I know is guaranteed or take the new path. And four years later, we opened our brick-n-mortar Smashley’s Burger Bar, and haven’t looked back. Do I wish I had done this ten years earlier? Absolutely! But would I have all the knowledge I have from the kitchens I worked over the years? Probably not. So it is hard to say from that perspective. I was well-rounded and ready, from inventory to food costs to staffing to cooking techniques and kitchen layouts. It all matters and is all important. I could have opened ten years ago and maybe be farther in my career but maybe not.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been in a commercial kitchen since I was 14 years old. It has always been my passion. I am a proud U.S. citizen, but born and from Ecuador with an Italian grandfather who I share my love of cooking with. Now at Smashley’s Burger Bar, most of the food I cook is fusion flavors – PBR and Dr Pepper braised chicken empanadas, all beef patties in our smash burgers that make you think there is a hint of chorizo in there, street corn fritters. My food is unique, original, and that is what matters most to me. When you eat my food you feel what I feel, the passion I have for cooking.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

This one is important to my wife and I. We could not go big or go home at the time we opened the food truck or the restaurant. Instead of buying a new fancy food truck and going into major debt, we bought an old beat up one and fixed it over time with cash. Instead of going into debt building out a new restaurant, we moved into a 2nd generation space where a restaurant was previously and brought to where it is today with our own money, not a banks. And because of that, we have done well for ourselves, and the only people we have to answer to are ourselves.

Any advice for managing a team?

Treat your employees like family. Show them you care. We do family meals every Saturday that I pay for. I say thank you and good job, let them know I respect them. We are with the people we work with more than the people we love at home most days, and it is important to have a great work environment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.smashleysburgerbar.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Smashleys-Burger-Bar-100090593891468/
• Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/smashleysburgerbar/?hl=en
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/smashleys-burger-bar-north-charleston-2

Image Credits

John Stout