QSR June 2023

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Shawn Lalehzarian Cofounder and CEO THE RED CHICKZ

What was your first job? My first job when I got to the U.S. was working as a dish washer at a local restaurant in San Diego. What’s your favorite menu item at Red Chickz? chicken? Beef Ribs BBQ. Who inspires you as a leader? Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol and John Addison, the former CEO of Primerica. What’s the best piece of advice that other restaurant executives should hear? One word: “Self-Awareness.” What are some of your interests outside of work? I do professional photogra phy as a hobby. I also like to keep my mind moving by reading a lot of books and watching documentaries. Chickz Tenders plate. What’s your favorite cuisine aside from

A s an Iranian immigrant first arriving in the U.S., I looked for a job that didn’t require much speaking and secured a position as a dishwasher at a local restaurant in San Diego. After picking up some communi cation skills and learning English through this initial role, my job turned into a passion as I uncovered my dream of opening a restaurant. I worked hard to move up the ranks, from server to cook, before finally landing a management position and working with larger brands such as Wolfgang Puck, Starbucks, California Pizza Kitchen, and Chili’s. My firsthand experience working in multiple restaurant roles, combined with a determination to be successful in my new home country, fueled an idea to take advantage of the latest popular food trend at the time, Nashville hot chicken. So I set out for Nashville on a discovery mission to learn as much as I could about the dish, ask ing everyone I encountered, from Uber drivers to hotel bellman, if they knew how to make hot

chicken. Filled with new knowledge, I then flew back to L.A. with the foundation of a new res taurant concept, The Red Chickz. Since perfecting the recipe and opening the brand’s first location in 2018, The Red Chickz has been serving Los Angelenos a West Coast spin on their favorite Southern dishes: like made to-order Nashville hot chicken tenders and sandwiches available in six different spice lev els, fried shrimp, classic sides like potato wedges and coleslaw, and more unconventional items like chicken and French toast and hot chicken tacos. In addition to the brand’s variety of unique menu items, The Red Chickz stands out in the LA Nashville hot chicken scene thanks to a mas sive following on social media. The brand has gained 150,000 followers on Instagram and over 1.2 million followers on TikTok by posting mouth-watering content featuring menu items. This insane amount of attention propelled The Red Chickz’s success even further, resulting in our decision to begin franchising in 2021.

THE RED CHICKZ

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JUNE 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com