restaurateur
Utopia World Cuisine & Lounge
Utopia World Cuisine & Lounge was started in 2004 and was my first and most successful restaurant. I started with approximately $150,000 in cash, plus a small business loan for an equal amount and within 2 years the restaurant was bringing in over $2M in revenue. Utopia won numerous awards including small business of the year, entrepreneur of the year, and best new restaurant for our local area of Corpus Christi, TX. Needless to say, Utopia was my pride and joy. I look back fondly on the lessons learned from opening my first two restaurant concepts. Both restaurants, Utopia and Jampa's, were closed down in 2009 during the economic downturn. It was a sad day for me as a business person that led to a 2 year bankruptcy filing and some serious soul searching. Fortunately I survived and had the benefit of learning so much about me and what is important in life. To see more on our press, restaurant systems to help you open your own restaurant, or more pics, click below.
Jampa's Lakehouse Grill & Tap
Jampa's Lakehouse Grill & Tap was the second restaurant I launched in 2006. It was themed off my Grandfather "Jampa" who was a first class BBQ smoker. I was very proud to have opened Jampa's before he passed a few years later. He attended the grand opening and had the time of his life seeing his cooking style and sauces showcased in the restaurant. The restaurant was built by KJM Commercial and designed by Dykema Architects. All branding and marketing design was created by my dear friend Liz Olson of Olson Designs who also completed all my branding design for Utopia World Cuisine & Lounge.
