We were lucky to catch up with Salar Sheik recently and have shared our conversation below.

Salar, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have any advice regarding quality control and maintaining quality as your brand grows?

For a while, I was a one-person team, and it was more than sufficient as I took on clients on a one-by-one basis. However, my demand quickly outgrew what I was able to supply as a restaurant consultant in Los Angeles. I started receiving more requests from outside of LA for restaurant consulting, which made me realize the need to scale up. My primary concern was maintaining the quality of service I provided.

At that moment, I dedicated time to recruiting talent that I knew was the best of the best within the restaurant industry. I made sure to compensate my employees well so that the quality of service remained on par with what my clients had received from me in the past on a one-on-one basis. Even today, I am always on the search for that talented hospitality person within multiple areas that one day I might need to recruit as a team member.

As you grow your company, I strongly advise always having a reliable second-in-command available, just in case your growth exceeds your expectations.

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

I’ve been in hospitality since I was 17 years old. I’ve always been in some type of hospitality role either working for a restaurant or a hotel. At one point I was a food and beverage director for one of the largest hospitality management companies in the world. Many would say that was a dream role in hospitality, managing high-profile food and beverage outlets with growing potential. However, shortly after starting my position, I realized my true passion was in helping others save their restaurants. This was when I had the idea of starting a side hobby/passion project to help others through consulting. Shortly thereafter, I became known as the “restaurant rescue guy” in LA.

After consulting for a handful of years as a side gig, I then made the leap to full-time and started my company, Savory Hospitality Restaurant Consulting. In the beginning, business was booming, and clients were flowing in as many who knew me in the business were excited to work with me as a consultant. Within a few years, I was able to expand my reach to areas outside of Los Angeles and I started gaining clientele all the way from Orange County to Northern California and blossoming into some international and overseas accounts. Through the years I learned a lot about marketing the business and managing beyond just me as one person. I was lucky to be able to add staff members to build a team which then let me take on bigger and better projects including starting new concepts rather than rescuing existing ones.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

There was a moment when consulting was just a side business for me. Being in the hospitality industry was really tough to find time for that side business. However, there came a point where I managed to carve out some weekends and days off to dedicate to my consulting business. It was a tough decision, but one day I woke up and realized that this could be a full-time gig—I believed in myself. From that point on, I embarked on the journey of building what I have today.

I believe that anyone looking to turn their side business into a full-time gig needs to understand that it takes time and additional investment. It’s crucial to have a financial cushion to fall back on during this transition.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I always stay in touch with my past clients. I even send them updates on current events related to the hospitality world that they might not be aware of. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I provided aid and updates to many of my clients free of charge because I understood they were facing hardships beyond their control. In the end, they recognized my loyalty and returned as clients when they were able to reopen their businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.savoryhospitality.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savory_hospitality/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/savory-hospitality/