Today we’d like to introduce you to David Tu.
David, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my first business when I was 18. I opened a coffee shop in Sugar Land, but things didn’t work out as I had hoped. I went back to school and graduated from the University of Houston with a Masters in Accounting in 2011. I began my career in Tax Consulting at Deloitte in Houston. My career would then take me to KPMG and 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles. But after a few years, I was ready to return to Houston.
I joined BDO to continue my career as a Tax Consultant. But something was missing. I began helping my dad and uncle out in their businesses on the weekends. Not long after, I began taking on more responsibilities and started to help grow their businesses. I loved it. I loved the challenge and the hustle. When the opportunity presented itself, I acquired a restaurant from my dad and uncle. In the Summer of 2018, I left my career as a Tax Consultant to focus on growing my restaurant business. Within 18 months, my team grew one restaurant to 8. And we’re still growing.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Running a business has its struggles. But that’s the best part. I truly believe you only grow and develop through hardships. Family-run businesses lack the resources of large companies. We’ve had to bootstrap everything to improve the way we have. I oversee everything from marketing, payroll, finances to day-to-day operations to reduce our overhead costs.
My lack of resources has taught me to be very resourceful. I’ve learned to do a lot of things on my own to avoid unnecessary expenses. And I’m continually refining my skillset and researching so that I can do my job better.
Please tell us about your business.
I currently oversee operations at Dan’s Seafood & Wings, Ginza Japanese Restaurant, Lyons Cocina de Chinos, V’s Crawfish & Noodles and Krab Kingz. My team specializes in partnering with restaurants to streamline operations and improve processes and efficiencies. We bring in talented chefs to retrain kitchen staff and reorganize the restaurants for process improvements. We also work closely with them on branding and marketing, as well as management consulting. Our partnerships with different restaurants have allowed us to join their group and collaborate on new projects together.
I am most proud of how far we’ve come as a team. We’ve been able to accomplish so much in the last two years. I look forward to our growth in the future. I think our values are what set us apart from others. We value our people and want them to succeed. As our team members take on more responsibility and begin managing their operations, they’re usually offered equity into the company. We believe in growing together. I often tell my team that they don’t work for me; they work with me. And I genuinely believe that.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have tried to start my own business again sooner. I think failing at my first business made me very hesitant to try again. But honestly, I wouldn’t want to start over. Every failure or mistake has gotten me where I am now. I wouldn’t be the same person without them. And I am blessed to be where I am now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_davidtu
@eatatdans
@thekrabkingz
@ginzahouston
@lyonschinos
@eatvcn - Email: david@eatatdans.com
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