I was riding my bike in downtown Toronto the other day and rolled past my old neighborhood a couple blocks north of Lake Ontario. And as I was riding I noticed my old burger joint! The whole neighborhood has changed — parking lots have become condos, motels have become hotels — but the burger joint has survived. I was excited so I locked my bike up in the middle of the concrete jungle and popped my head inside to ask if they’re open since it was just after 11am.
“Absolutely we’re open!,” a friendly guy in a black T-shirt and black cap shouted. “Come on in!”
I told him I used to come down here a long time ago and he quickly replied, “Well, welcome back! We’re glad to have you back!”
Aggressive friendliness turns me on so I start talking to the guy and discover his name is Zafar and he owns six restaurants in Toronto. He scrapped and saved his way up from Lahore, Pakistan, where he was a manager of a KFC and then emigrated to Canada to start managing a local chicken franchise. He saved everything he had and made a big bet to buy his own burger joint. This money losing burger joint in downtown Toronto that was making $470,000 a year but losing over $200,000 a year.
What do you do with that?
Well, if you’re Zafar The Hamburger Man you more than double sales in the first year. I asked him how he did it and discovered an endless treasure trove of leadership and service wisdom. Unsurprisingly, Zafar is a big reader and he had three formative books at the ready.
This chapter of 3 Books will be a voyage for your senses. Prepare to come inside Big Smoke Burger, listen to The Beatles coming out of the speakers, hear the grill sizzling, the stapler closing paper bags, and then hang out with me and Zafar on the street outside as we discuss books, life, and everything.
Let’s talk about the cost of obsession, the importance of mastering the basics, what we can learn from doers, why feedback is so precious and vital, how we embrace and offer the gift of time, how we seek the truth, how we build trust, and much, much, much more…
I am so excited to introduce you to Zafar The Hamburger Man!
Let’s turn the page into Chapter 89 now …
What You'll Learn:
What does it take to survive in the restaurant business?
What is the cost of obsession in business?
What is the importance of the big tech giants in running a business today?
Why are the basics so critical?
What can we learn from those truly in the trenches?
What can we learn from the doers?
What is the tension between choice and the lesser evil?
Why is feedback so vital?
Who will give you the most sincere feedback in your lifetime?
How do you cultivate leadership and respect when there is no economic relationship?
What is the gift of time?
How do you become lucky?
Why is generosity so important in business and in life?
Notable quotes from zafar:
“It is a blessing to work with the hands.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
“Growth comes with the failure.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
“Life is going to give you choices. Choose the lesser evil.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
“Humans build trust through communication.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
“You’ve got to treat your employees like your kids.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
On life: “take what it gives you and make it better.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
“Technology is BS: it is robbing you of your time.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
"The tree which has the most fruit bends the most." Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
“The harder you work the luckier you get.” Zafar the Hamburger Man #3bookspodcast
CONNECT WITH zafar:
Big Smoke Burger - 573 King St West, Toronto, ON M5V 1M1, (416) 596-6660
word of the chapter:
Resources Mentioned:
Zafar’s first book [14:20]
Zafar’s second book [26:49]
Zafar’s third book [31:54]
My Life in Full by Indra Nooyi
The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb
Antifragile by Nassim Taleb
Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb
