Biz Profile: Jami Lee of Native New Yorker Restaurants

What is your name? Jami Lee

What is your business name? Native New Yorker Restaurants

What is your website URL? www.nativenewyorker.com

When did you start your business? Native New Yorker was founded by my parents, Floyd and Judy Anderson in 1979. Natives of Buffalo, NY, they packed up and moved me and my three sisters to Phoenix, AZ to pursue their dream of starting a restaurant after the Blizzard of 1977.

Why did you decide to start your business & why did you choose the type of business you chose? My parents chose the restaurant business because my mother really enjoyed entertaining and cooking for other people, and it would allow the family to work together. Their first restaurant was actually a small, authentic Italian restaurant in an old pizza shop. But, when that didn’t go as well as they’d hoped, my mother bought some chicken wings and decided to try out a local favorite from their hometown – Buffalo-style hot chicken wings – on what few customers they did have. The wings were a huge hit! Native New Yorker is credited with bringing the spicy Buffalo wing to Arizona and today, we have 24 franchise locations throughout the Phoenix metro area. Our wings have been named the best in Phoenix every year for the past 30 years

What is your favorite thing about being in business for yourself? I enjoy the flexibility that it provides me and I love the people aspect of the business. Every day I get to work individually with our franchisees to help them overcome challenges and provide the quality food and comfortable family atmosphere that our restaurants are known for. With the passing of my father in January, the business has become a living legacy to his memory, and it’s important that our restaurants remain true to his vision. I also enjoy walking into one of our locations and interacting with the patrons. It’s so wonderful to see families enjoying time together and it’s very rewarding to know that my family has had a hand in creating this environment for them.

What turned out to be harder than you thought? Franchising is difficult as there are growth challenges we face every day. As one of the fastest growing restaurant chains, we’re grateful for the support we’ve received from the people of Phoenix and the state of Arizona. But, like in any other business, we’ve had our share of growing pains. The recent economic downturn has been tough for all of us, but I remind myself every day of the sacrifices and challenges my parents endured to start this business. Certainly our challenges today are no greater than those, and I’m so proud of how far we’ve come as a result of their perseverance. It’s a pleasure to work with my sisters to devise solutions to the challenges we face in our quest to carry on my father’s legacy.

Looking back, what is one thing you know now, but wish you knew back then? I wish I had known how the demand for chicken wings would increase over time! Talk about being a trend setter! When my family first introduced spicy chicken wings in their restaurant, they were one of the cheapest cuts of the bird. Because of the low demand, they were able to keep costs relatively low. Now that wings have become so popular, the cost has gone up considerably. But, we work very hard to improve efficiencies so that we can keep our prices low for our customers.

Do you participate in any business groups (mentoring, networking, etc)? I’ve only been in this position for a little over a year so, at the moment, all of my networking activities are centered on building and maintaining relationships with our franchisees, suppliers and vendors. I do plan to pursue more formal networking opportunities to help increase awareness of our brand.

As a business owner, it can be easy to work all the time – do you have any tips for balancing your business and your personal life? I’m fortunate to be able to have a business that I share with my family, so that in itself affords me an opportunity to enjoy both at the same time. But, it’s sometimes challenging to find that balance, especially when you have a passion for both.

What have been some of your best business successes? I started out scrubbing pots and pans in my parents’ restaurant at about 3 years old. Today, I’m the CEO. It’s been very rewarding to build this business with my family over a lifetime, starting from such a young age. The decision to franchise was a difficult one for our family – to let go of something that was so personal for all of us. But now we’re at 24 locations and counting – it’s been a true American success story.

What are you planning to do with your business in the future? The current economy makes it a little tough to plan for the future, but we must continue to look forward rather than behind us. Once the country is out of the woods economically, I would love to begin aggressively pursuing a plan for expansion that would take Native New Yorker into other states.

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Category: Biz Profiles