Tobi Miller: “I’d like to start a movement for Americans to take more time for lunch, it’s a special time of day that should be enjoyed more”
I think Americans should take more time for lunch … It should also be a cultural norm to enjoy a glass of wine, sake or beer with your lunch company. It’s a special time of day that should be enjoyed more. Not sure if that changes humanity but it’s a start!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Tobi Miller, president and co-founder LemonShark Poké. LemonShark Poké is a “fine-casual” premium poké concept known for serving top-quality locally-sourced ingredients. In addition to traditional poké offerings, the menu includes shareable appetizers such as tempura shrimp and egg rolls, and its signature Hawaii Katsu menu that features cooked-to-order, delectable entrées including chicken, Alaskan cod and more.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was a commercial property developer and had an empty unit in my building that was next to a college that was underserved. I started thinking about what kind of concepts I thought might work. The fact that I owned the building made it much easier for me because I didn’t have to deal with a lease, a timeline, or exclusive uses. I was free to try whatever I wanted and could really take my time with the concept and build-out. I thought I would open the business and then sell it, but I caught the “retail bug” and never looked back. I just really love the restaurant business and creativity of it all. With LemonShark Poké, I have the opportunity to do all of these things and work with some really great people as we open many new locations across the United States.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
We had a large franchise group approach us about buying one-third of LemonShark Poké and building out 100 stores. The deal fell apart after 10 months and cost us about $100,000 worth of legal fees, but it was the best money we ever spent. This group is very well established and really mentored us for the entire time we negotiated. So we basically bought an education for ourselves and our company benefited greatly from the entire experience.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The night before opening our first restaurant, which was a precursor to LemonShark Poké, my manager and I had the staff prepare everything on the menu for us to taste — all at once. We did get through everything but were so full that we were literally rolling on the floor delirious. It was an awful idea to taste the entire menu at once.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
We had no idea that we were going to be a poké place from the start. I opened several hot dog shop concepts in the region but wanted to develop a healthier food concept. We converted one of the hot dog shops to a poké restaurant and quickly tripled the previous concept’s sales. LemonShark Poké CEO Richard Gottlieb and I traveled with his family every summer to Hawaii. We had poké as kids. Little did we know that the taste of our childhood summers would funnel us into the careers we have today with LemonShark Poké. It is such a treat to be able to bring these fresh flavors across the U.S.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
At LemonShark Poké, we’re ALWAYS working on new projects. Most of them are menu related. Only one in 10 make it to the menu but it’s really the most fun part of the enterprise for me personally. It’s where I get to express my creativity. I’ve always loved Asian cuisine, and Japanese food, in particular. Our menu emulates those flavor profiles. I think I’ve been addicted to sushi for most of my life — but not just for the food. The meal is always an “event,” not just a meal. The experience of a great sushi restaurant is just as important to me as what’s on the plate — the interaction with the sushi chef and the attire of the staff. It always feels like a celebration. We’ve really tried to bring that experiential piece to our LemonShark Poké restaurants.
What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?
Treat your employees like you would want to be treated yourself; if you were in their shoes. It’s a version of the “Golden Rule.” If you treat your employees well, they will almost always treat you and your business well. When it comes to LemonShark Poké, we cultivate a tight family community — you can experience that when you visit our stores or even becoming a franchisee. We want you to grow because we want to grow.
How do you define “Leadership”?
Leadership is the act of leading a group. Strong leaders also know when to step aside and let others shine. I think that’s why I enjoy the concept of being a franchisor. We were able to create a unique concept that we love and believe in, and now we get to see our franchisees all over the nation lead the way at their own LemonShark Poké restaurants.
What advice would you give to other CEOs about the best way to manage a large team?
At LemonShark Poké, we’re very conscious about our lanes of discipline. We love to get input on from everyone in the company on any idea they might have. This could be a store employee with a marketing idea or a marketing person with an operations idea. What’s important is that the idea gets shared with the person who is driving in that lane so that they can evaluate it and run with it. We like clearly defined lanes of operations.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I have a great business partner, Richard Gottlieb, who is the CEO of LemonShark Poké. We’ve been close friends since the 3rd grade. I would not have been able to do this business without him. Richard and I are incredibly different, so we complement each other very well. It helps to have a confidant with a very different perspective than your own.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
They’ve done many studies over the years about what makes people happy. Almost always, eating out with friends and family is at the top of the list — regardless of socioeconomic levels and even nationalities. We spend a lot of time with our employees discussing that people come to our restaurants for more than just food. We’re not saving people lives, but we’re certainly enhancing them. That’s the ultimate goal — enhancing peoples’ lives. And, I think that’s what separates most poké concepts from others when it comes to LemonShark Poké. So many poké concepts are grab-and-go, which makes it convenient for lunch or dinner crowds. At LemonShark Poké, we want you to enjoy your time eating out. That’s why at most locations you’ll see a beer wall and a sake menu. Dining should be an experience that you share with others and an opportunity to taste new flavors.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became CEO” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
It takes more money than you think. A lot more… People sometimes say that whatever your budget is to double or triple it. My advice is to add a zero. That should get you close.
It will take you longer thank you think and sometimes not the path you thought. I started out as a guitarist in a rock band jamming with my friends and producing music, today I’m connecting people to food that I love and seeing them grow as store owners.
It’s not all about food. Many items that are not on the plate of food affect the guest’s perception of the taste. Pricing and understanding the of the value of your menu items is key. For example, there are studies that have shown huge impacts on the thought of quality during blind wine tastings — that phenomenon is not limited to just wine…
Franchising is an entirely different business altogether and has little to do with the restaurant business. It’s about the people and the product.
Don’t be in such a hurry. Take your time and get the first one right before opening your second restaurant.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I think Americans should take more time for lunch, and not because LemonShark Poké is a “fine-casual” concept. It should also be a cultural norm to enjoy a glass of wine, sake or beer with your lunch company. It’s a special time of day that should be enjoyed more. Not sure if that changes humanity but it’s a start!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“One of the hardest things in life to learn are which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.” — Oprah Winfrey
In 2012, I began working in the franchising world. I had to burn my bridge with a concept after they opened a new store about 1 mile of one from of my locations and ruined my business. To me, it seemed like they just got greedy with real estate at some point and were only concerned with the number of stores and not the quality of stores. It was unfortunate for them because I was a superstar franchisee and they lost my efforts and resources forever. I just had to burn that bridge…
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’m kind of a science nerd so I would have loved to have lunch for Richard Feynman. He was just so quirky, funny and of course brilliant. He was a “barbell” type personality — a heavy on science on one end and a heavy on humanity on the other. I can’t think of a more entertaining and rewarding experience than cooking for him.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Readers can follow LemonShark Poké online, but I’m not one to be on social media much.
https://twitter.com/lemonsharkPoké
https://www.instagram.com/lemonsharkPoké/
https://www.facebook.com/lemonsharkPoké
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.