Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Gandhi.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband, Raj, and I have always dreamed about having our own business one day. We had settled into having a “normal” life in the suburbs for a few years (whatever “normal” means – ha!), and when our kids reached school age, I was ready to find my niche outside the home. I had worked a few different jobs in the corporate world before we started our family, but never really found my “thing.” Now that we have Cheba Hut it’s almost as if we’ve created our own thing…nothing will inspire more passion in a person than owning your own business!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a business owner has its own unique challenges, but I’m thankful for every part of the journey. Not to over-simplify, but when you’re first starting out, it’s almost like learning a new skill from scratch…”You don’t know what you don’t know” until you learn it through trial and error. You’ll never work harder at something than when your livelihood is on the line. So even though we had no experience operating a restaurant, with almost two years under our belt and encountering numerous trials such as the pandemic, staffing challenges, supply chain issues, and learning how to be better leaders, we now feel like we are ready to take on any challenge that comes our way. We took some big risks to do this, but so far, it’s paid off in wonderful ways, and we know that we will be able to reach our goal of owning several Cheba Huts throughout the Houston area. To be able to pursue a lifelong dream with my husband as my business partner has been amazing…I couldn’t imagine doing this without him.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Cheba Hut Houston – Sawyer Yards & Katy/Fulshear locations?
Cheba Hut is a “toasted” sub-concept with a full bar. We are 420-friendly, and although our food & drinks are not infused, they are a large part of our theme and what makes us such a fun neighborhood hangout. We are most known for our delicious and unique sub sandwiches. The flavor profiles are one of a kind, with the “Kali Mist” (spicy turkey club with avocado) and “White Widow” (chicken, bacon, & ranch) leading the pack in popularity. I get to speak with delighted customers every day who not only love the product but who genuinely have a great time coming in to hang out at our shop. That’s always our goal–to deliver dank subs and chill vibes to our community. I am so proud of the fact that although we are a Quick-Service concept, we aren’t a “churn and burn” type of place where the goal is to get people in & out as quickly as possible. We treat our customers like family and want people to stay a while and enjoy themselves each time they visit us! Our showcasing of local art and eclectic music sets us apart from others, but it all starts with our amazing crew. We encourage people to be who they are bring their “real selves” to work. We work hard and hustle, but we also like to have fun interactions with our customers, and that’s what keeps people coming back. We absolutely could not do this without our crew!
We own the Sawyer Yards location (2150 Edwards Street in Houston), and in a few short weeks, we will be opening our second location in the Katy/Fulshear area (4846 FM-1463, Ste. 100 in Katy)!
Pricing:
- Nug is our 4″ sandwich – $6.59
- Pinner is our 8″ sandwich – $10.89
- Blunt is our 12″ sandwich – 14.59
- Get any sub as a Salad – $11.89
- Happy Hour Daily from 4:20 – 7:10 where drinks start at $5
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chebahut.com
- Instagram: chebahut_katyfulshearbend and chebahut_houstonsawyeryards
Image Credits
@blayzur
