We were lucky to catch up with James Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, James thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.
Old adages often warn against getting into business with relatives however these partnerships have resulted in the greatest successes of my career. My family is financially and emotionally invested in the success of our ventures and the byproduct of that is creating an environment were all staff, related or not, understand that we are in this together. We’ve certainly adopted the philosophy that there is plenty of benefits, both financial and personal, that can we shared in amongst all of us. An extra perk is being able to work side-by-side our spouses & children. It’s a perk of a family run restaurant were our loved ones can have a real time window into your work persona vs family persona. This view is uncommon and a very special way to gain new perspectives about our own families.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I moved to Baltimore after college from Canada and starting working my way through the local restaurant scene. I always had hopes of opening my own spot and knew that a “Canadian / Poutine ” inspired concept could be a winner. After teaming up with my brother in law, Scott Donnelly, and landing a great location next to the historic Senator Theatre … Clark Burger was born!
We carved out a niche with fresh burgers, fries & poutine and the local customer base in Govans really embraced us. We are coming up on 10 years and are very fortunate to have developed the friendships and community ties that fueled our small business success.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
Capital + Opportunity + Execution = Success (hopefully!)
When I was younger and working in the restaurant business I took on as many shifts/hours as possible. It was a grind but necessary to build up a bank roll to eventually invest in my restaurant dreams. A good work ethic helped impress my old bosses and convinced them to partner with me and contribute some seed capital on my first venture!
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Baltimore is filled with countless neighborhoods and micro communities. The residents surrounding our Clark Burger location were gracious enough to give us a chance when we first opened and we made it a point to impress and connect with them immediately. Our success in cultivating loyalty from our local residents has been paramount to our growth and success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.clark-burger.com
- Instagram: clark_burger
- Facebook: clarkburgerbar
