We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Knight recently and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Thanks for the question. Since the age of 7 I have had a passion for cooking. As I got older I discovered I really loved how food taste, the freshness of the ingredients, and just the overall process of creating a meal from scratch. Over the years I spent time cooking and refining my skills.
The birth of my brand began February 2019 during a wedding counseling session with my wife, and our wedding officiant. The session was at our home, and I had prepared a really nice dinner. As we wrap up our session and dinner, my friend and officiant said, “Wow! This dinner was really amazing! This would make an awesome date night.”
In that moment, the idea hit me like a ton of bricks to cater date nights in people’s homes. Why? Well I had grown tired of the lack luster dining experiences, the poor service, and bad food when you talk about going out and having a special dinner with family or friends. My wife and I were married in March and by May I had started Date Knight Catering, which has since been rebranded to Date Knight Dining.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
It was August 2021, and I had just completed the entire rebranding process from Date Knight Catering to Date Knight Dining. I did a complete website, logo, and company overhaul. I was so excited to have my very first client as Date Knight Dining.
I had completed the dinner service on August 30, 2021 in Huntsville, AL. This was the last night of Hurricane Ida, and yes the weather was bad. A lot of rain and wind. I was on my way back home to Birmingham around 930PM. I called my wife to let her know I was on my wat home.
I, unfortunately, never made it home. As I was traveling, my vehicle hydroplaned, and I ended up crashing into a cement culvert. Upon impact I fractured my right hip in 3 places. This required emergency surgery, which left me with 3 plates and 13 screws.
After my surgery I could not walk or put any weight on my right hip for 6 months. Not being able to walk left me with no way to be a Personal Chef or generate income.
I am thankful to have kept my business and made a full recovery since that time. Without God, the attitude of success, and resilience, I would not be here today.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest lesson I learned was that it is okay to say no. Transitioning from catering to full service personal dining was a challenge due to clients still wanting my to deliver already prepared food. I am so glad I learned this lesson. I believe that when you are a new or struggling entrepreneur, you are willing to take just about any job or any client. It happened to me and I believe I learned an extremely valuable lesson.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dateknigtdining.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dateknightdining
- Facebook: facebook.com/dateknightdining
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-knight-a699a8141/