We recently connected with Ethan Banayan and have shared our conversation below.

Ethan, appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Sobuneh, pronounced SO-BOO-NEH, means breakfast in Farsi. It’s a simple word, but as Iranian Americans, it holds much more meaning for us than just the first meal of the day. When we started Sobuneh, we wanted a name with a deeper meaning—something that resonated personally with us and could eventually resonate with our customers. For us, Sobuneh represents not only breakfast but also spending time with loved ones, enjoying quality food, and feeling at home.
Growing up, Sundays were special. Our family would call us to the dining room table with the words, “Sobuneh is ready!” Those moments at the table were filled with laughter, conversations about the week that had passed, and exciting discussions about what’s ahead. Family is incredibly important to us, and dedicating one morning each week to sharing a meal helped us maintain close bonds with loved ones, no matter how busy life became. That’s the feeling we want to recreate at Sobuneh—when our guests walk through our doors, we want them to feel as if they’re returning to that cherished table from our childhood.
When it came to breakfast, we were particular about what we ate. We always chose clean, fresh foods that made us feel good. That same care and love go into our offerings at Sobuneh. We use the best ingredients possible, including pasture-raised organic eggs that we cook in avocado oil, and our tortillas are made with real butter. We aim to make as much as we can from scratch, using ingredients you’d find in your own home. We would never serve a guest something we wouldn’t eat ourselves, which is why we prioritize carefully selecting our suppliers and making many of our items in-house.
Nothing beats a breakfast at home but strive to recreate that experience for customers each and every time they walk through our doors. Creating a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere where quality food is the norm is essential to us. This philosophy inspired our motto: “Not just a Café, a Taste of Home.”
In the end, choosing the name was an easy decision. The perfect word was the same one we grew up hearing every Sunday: Sobuneh.

Ethan, 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?

Our journey began with a straightforward goal: to create the best breakfast burrito possible. However, as we entered the restaurant industry, we discovered that it’s about much more than just the food. It’s about building a community and creating meaningful experiences for everyone who walks through our doors.
At Sobuneh, we focus on serving delicious breakfast options with an emphasis on quality and freshness. We believe that breakfast is a time to connect with family and friends, and we aim to recreate that feeling for our guests. Our menu features the finest ingredients, clean and healthy ingredients that could be found in your own home pantry. We strive to prepare as much as we can from scratch because we want to offer food we would enjoy at home.
What sets us apart is our commitment to hospitality. From the moment you enter Sobuneh, we want you to feel welcomed, at ease, and at home. This sense of comfort is what we aspire to provide every time you visit. That’s why we always preach that we’re not just a café, a Taste of home.
While our journey hasn’t been without its challenges, we view each obstacle as an opportunity for growth. We’ve learned how vital relationships are and the importance of connecting genuinely with our guests. Treating our customers like family is one of the most rewarding parts about what we do.
What we take pride in the most is the wonderful community we’ve built around Sobuneh. Hearing that someone can’t live without our food or that we created a memorable experience for them truly makes it all worthwhile. Many of our guests have become friends, and we cherish each one of those connections.
As we continue forward, we want you to know that Sobuneh is about more than just breakfast. It’s about connection, quality, and authenticity. We’re looking forward to what lies ahead and can’t wait to welcome you into our space, where every meal feels like coming home.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Everyone thinks you need thousands of dollars or a huge investment to start a business, but that’s far from the truth. We began Sobuneh with just $300—each of the three partners chipped in $100. We started off slow, using whatever cooking equipment we had at home and only buying enough ingredients for our first pop-up. That initial $300 turned into $600. Finally, we were on to something! The next weekend, we did it again, and the week after that, we repeated the process. Slowly but surely, our sales began to increase, and we started investing more each week to meet the growing demand for our burritos.

While we could have continued with our weekly Sunday pop-ups, after six months, we had proven our concept and were confident it would succeed on a daily basis. We took all the money we’d earned over those six months and each chipped in a few thousand dollars of our savings to build out and open our first official commercial kitchen space at Colony Cooks.

The moral of the story is that you don’t need to invest thousands right off the bat. Start slow, validate your concept, and once you see that you have a market fit, go all in. Quit your second job, invest your money, and put in the time and work it takes to make your dream a reality.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

In September of 2023, three of us—Ethan, Ryan, and myself, Omeed—started Sobuneh. Our friendship goes way back to middle school, where we spent countless hours playing basketball at Westwood Recreation Center and we even proceeded to go to the same high school. However, it wasn’t until after college that we truly became close.
Our mutual friend Nathan helped bring us together for all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ nights, where we’d indulge and eat as much as we could. What started as a casual outing soon transformed into a once-a-month tradition that continues to this day.
As our bond deepened, so did our shared love for food and cooking. Those Korean BBQ nights evolved into hosting our annual Super Bowl parties, where we would cook up an insane feast for over 50 guests. But it wasn’t until the night before Sobuneh was conceived that everything fell into place. We gathered for a steak night, cooking Wagyu steaks and an extravagant Japanese feast. That evening was a revelation—it showed us how much fun cooking and spending time together could be.
The next day, we talked about our passion for food and our vision for a business, and just like that, Sobuneh was born. Now, we literally get to cook and hang out together for a living. From the beginning, it felt like a perfect fit—three friends with a love for cooking and unique skill sets in business and the kitchen.
The real lesson here isn’t just about how we met or how Sobuneh started. It’s about choosing partners who share your passion and creating a business that thrives on that love. That’s what makes Sobuneh so special. Three best friends with a burning passion for cooking, doing what they love each and every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sobuneh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sobunehla/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565562401359
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sobuneh/
• Yelp: https://www.google.com/search?q=sobuneh+yelp&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1055US1055&oq=sobuneh+yelp&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgYIARBFGDzSAQgxNDYwajBqNKgCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sobuneh

Image Credits

@lafoodlist