Today we’d like to introduce you to Julian Hakim.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Julian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For as long as I can remember I’m always thinking of ideas for business. A lot of these ideas never got developed, others turned out to be horrible decisions. I learned from those experiences and kept going. I never expected to be doing this for a living though. After high school I decided to go to medical school and it was great. I wanted to get into orthopedic surgery and put tons of work into school since it’s a really competitive field to get into. At the same time, I had a really simple idea to do great tacos in San Diego. I didn’t know where to do it or how to operate a restaurant but I had a clear idea for the menu and overall feel of the place. I wanted it to be like it was for me when I grew up in Tijuana. My uncle owns Pizza On Pearl in La Jolla and one day we spoke about the taco idea and it turned out that the space next door was available. We decided to partner up and The Taco Stand was born. After opening, we received a very positive response and decided to keep doing it. At that time I had to make a decision of whether to pursue my quest into residency in the medical profession, or continue with The Taco Stand. Did I make the right decision? Who knows, only time will tell. It’s certainly been fun so far.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s no such thing as a smooth road when you’re in the restaurant business, especially when you’re growing. There are new challenges every single day but that’s part of the fun. We also work really hard to improve and become better all the time. Getting to see people’s responses when they visit our restaurants is what it’s all about for us.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Showa Hospitality – what should we know?
Shōwa Hospitality is a San Diego based consortium founded by Julian Hakim, Aram Baloyan, and Edo Kobayashi. We focus on developing Hospitality + Food + Culture concepts throughout the United States and Mexico. With spaces in San Diego, Miami, and Mexico City, each of our restaurants + hotels + bars seeks to constantly present fresh ideas + welcoming environments through exceptional service, design and a commitment to quality. Shōwa understands that a new opening also represents a new neighborhood. Our team engages local communities through ongoing support of youth organizations, schools, disaster/relief funds and environmental sustainability efforts. One of the things we’ve done from the beginning is listen to our customer’s feedback. We read all reviews, good or bad, and address them. Our customers mean everything to us and make us aware of situations or issues that we are doing well or things we can be better at. We are also passionate about quality and constantly review our food and look for ways to make it better.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think it’s important to pay attention to the details. When there’s a lot going on it’s easy to lose track of small details but many times it’s finding little things you can do better that bring you success. Being able to rely on your team is also extremely important. Knowing you have a strong team around you and being able to delegate and share the work is an absolute must. Without our team, we’d be nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://letstaco.com/
- Email: hola@letstaco.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/letstaco_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letstaco
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/letstaco_
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