Meet Jeff Hancock of Kuai Asian Kitchen in Downtown Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Hancock.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jeff. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I remember hearing Herman Cain speak at Cornell during my undergraduate studies. He was one of the most engaging speakers I had/have ever heard. He claimed that success is a journey not a destination, and described how he had hopped on and off his destination bus throughout his career. While I had no intent on being in the restaurant industry, this is the story of my destination bus so far.

My career began after I graduated from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. I had focused on finance and marketing, with zero intentions of ever being in the restaurant business. I moved to Los Angeles to start my consulting position at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. After a couple years I found that sitting in an office all day was not the right path for me. Through a professor at Cornell I was introduced to a small business owner that also graduated from Cornell and went to work at his airline catering company in New York and Rhode Island. I viewed this as a great opportunity to truly understand how a business operates, not necessarily a change into the food service business. After a couple of very tough and very educational years working over 80 hours a week, I decided to move back to my home state of Texas and earn my MBA from the University of Texas. I focused on entrepreneurship and operations and planned for this to allow me to restart my professional career and have the freedom to do something completely new!

Upon graduation, I interviewed with a few companies. All roads were pointing back to an office job, something I could not seem to accept. So, with two of my classmates we decided that in 2004 we were going to get into the food truck business. I was reluctant to take such a risky move, and again I never had plans to be in the food service industry. But here we go…

We went to Houston to meet with the city planners and discovered that what we wanted to do was not going to be possible. It was early in the food truck business for what we were trying to do and the laws were not in place to support it yet. Discouraged, we went to lunch at a place that my brother (who worked in downtown Houston at the time) recommended. It was an Asian restaurant, and it was inspirational!

The place had a line 50 people deep and they were churning through really fast. We went to Academy and bought click counters and spent the next several days counting people and what they were ordering by category. We got kicked out by security a couple times, but not before we had gathered the data we needed.

Back to the numbers, we built a financial model and it looked pretty good. We decided that this was worth pursuing and moved to Dallas to make it happen. We scouted locations with the goal of being in the underground tunnel system downtown where we would expect to generate a lot of repeat customers from people working in the surrounding buildings. But, we would need to have a menu first…

We created a menu (at least in print), designed some marketing materials, and began our location search. You can imagine how these conversations went. We would pick a space and meet with their leasing representatives to discuss our plans. They would ask about our experience in opening restaurants, and we would tell them that we are building our experience now… Maybe not the most compelling statement.

Finally, somebody really believed in us and what we were trying to create. We leased space in the Republic Tower downtown to build our first Kuai restaurant. There was a lot of work in between the signing of the lease and opening day. But we pressed on, often until the early hours in the morning, to get the restaurant open. On October 27th of 2006 we opened for business. My path from Cornell to here was quite turbulent and unexpected. There were some great times and some very tough and sad times. But now, as I look back on almost a quarter of my life with this restaurant company, I am so proud of where we are and what we have been able to accomplish. Now, I do what I love and love what I do, what a blessing!

We plan to open our third restaurant this year at the Dallas North Tollway and Alpha Road next to the Paradise Bakery. I think the exciting part of our journey is just about to begin!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been many obstacles and challenges. Sometimes they test your resolve and make you question why you chose the path you are on (did my destination bus take the wrong turn?!).

A challenge that we faced since we started this business was a lack of resources. We financed the first location largely on credit cards (with really high interest rates). Without the ability to hire help when we needed it, we learned how to do things for ourselves. We created recipes, designed marketing campaigns, worked in the restaurant, maintained and repaired much of our equipment, created employee handbooks, formed legal agreements, and did our own accounting among many other things. As a small business owner you have to wear a lot of hats. You have to simultaneously be a manager, accountant, HR department, promoter, cashier, a great dish washer, and more! For many years I would wait tables at night so I could pay rent. Fighting for the business with very limited resources was exhausting, but it is amazing what one can do with some passion and faith!

There were some challenges in our partnership. My two original business partners, whom I could not have started this company without, have moved on to other careers. There were some very tough and sad occasions throughout those changes.

This could be a really long answer. But I will simply say that there have always been challenges, and always will be challenges. And that reality can be stifling.

However, and this may sound cheesy, I really try to look at each challenge as a potential opportunity. It is amazing how having a different mindset towards problems can really lead to better outcomes. I have been more intentional in the last few years with using this paradigm for addressing problems and have found it to be very effective.

We now stand on an almost 11-year foundation, despite obstacles and challenges. Part of our mission is to have a positive influence on everyone that comes in contact with Kuai… including customers, employees, vendors, investors, and communities. Through this focus we have been blessed with very low turnover among our combined staff of 9 employees. A couple of them have been with us for over 9 years and most over 5 years. This continuity in our staff helps us make and serve delicious food consistently on a daily basis. That alone eliminates a lot of challenges and obstacles!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Kuai Asian Kitchen – what should we know?
Kuai Asian Kitchen is a quick-service restaurant concept that provides flavorful Asian rice bowls, dumplings, soups, salads, sides and iced teas at an affordable price. In an environment where consumers are looking for healthier alternatives to traditional fast food while not sacrificing the convenience of speedy service, Kuai provides a delicious alternative at an attractive price point.

We believe that making and serving great food depends on a few key ingredients which we refer to as the “Kuai Way.” The Kuai Way is the foundation on which the company is built and drives all aspects of daily operations. This includes: Respect, Teamwork, Safety, Service, Pride, and Fun! In an industry plagued with employee turn-over, Kuai’s employee retention sets a high standard.

The easiest way to describe Kuai is to break it down to the three things that make our restaurant great.

The Food
We feature popular Asian inspired fare from 6 countries: Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, India. We try to pick the “best of” menu items from each country. We prepare our food in healthy ways: Steamed, Baked, or Boiled. There are no fryers or microwaves on premises. These methods of preparation in conjunction with the great flavors of our food generate a high rate of repeat business.

Consumers are increasingly becoming “Have-it-my-way-guests”. Which is fine for us at Kuai as our menu is highly customizable and we are usually able to meet our customer’s needs in terms of tastes, allergies, or nutritional needs. Our orders are made on demand so our ability to create a meal tailored to each customer is easy.

The Service
The word “Kuai” literally means “Fast” or “Quick” in Mandarin Chinese. Our entire operation is designed for speedy service without compromising on the quality of our food. Our prices are tax inclusive and in $.25 increments to further reduce our transaction times. With increasing pressure to find to time to eat a healthy meal these days, we have found the answer. And while we are quick, we have always tried to provide excellent service in our restaurants and know that it is a meaningful part of why we have such loyal customers.

The Value
Our goal is to offer affordable prices. This is the final piece of our Value Proposition: (Quality + Speed)/Price. Serving high quality ingredients, with healthy preparation methods, tax inclusive pricing, and speedy service does not prevent us from giving our customers a great deal. Our average check is around $9.00 (including tax).

The Kuai Trifecta
What really makes Kuai so special, and what I am most proud of, is our ability to deliver the combination of great food, speedy service, and affordable prices. This is what I refer to as the Kuai trifecta, and it is what sets us apart from other restaurants.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I believe that God has a plan for our business. I am grateful for him and my faith because I know we wouldn’t be here today otherwise.

I am deeply grateful to my family. I have had support from my entire family (Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc…). But most importantly has been the support, counsel, passion and wisdom I have received from Charlie Hancock, Sarah Hancock and Paul Hancock (my father, mother and brother). I have leaned on them greatly over the years and they have always been up to the challenge.

Emilie Bedell and all of our loyal employees also deserve credit. I mention her specifically as we have worked together at Kuai for 9 years. She has had other opportunities along the way but decided to stick with us regardless. She brings a joy to the business, works really hard, and is a great friend.

My friend Randy Garutti over at Shake Shack has been generous with his time towards Kuai and helped us to find the path we are on now, which is one of expansion.

I also would like to thank Jeff Sinelli at Which Wich. He has been supportive of me over many years and has opened his staff up to me for guidance on many levels. So thanks Jeff!

I am truly grateful to do what I love and love what I do!

Contact Info:

• Address: Republic Tower (Our Original Location)
  325 N. St. Paul Street, C9
  Dallas, TX 75201
• Website: KuaiAsianKitchen.com
• Phone: 9724085562
• Email: jeff@kuainow.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kuaiAsianKitchen/

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