Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Maen.
Lee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Out of college at UCLA, I started working in commercial real estate. As a side project and to make some extra money, some friends and I became party throwers (promoters) of upscale nightclubs, concerts, and events in L.A. Later, while getting my MBA, my partners and I opened our first lounge together as true owners. After grad school, we decided to expand our business, though not in the most obvious way. We wanted to revolutionize the sushi industry by creating the first sushi bar concept in Los Angeles that had great design and energy, a full bar (versus just beer and sake), and fantastic food at a reasonable price. We opened Sushi Roku in 1997 and were pioneers filling a niche in the Japanese restaurant market. At the time, most sushi restaurants were very minimalist operations without much ambiance or décor. We basically built the type of place that we would want to go to.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Some of the biggest challenges we have faced over the past two decades have been external factors and world events, like 9/11. The world seemed to stop and none of us knew what the next step would be or how to react. As businessmen, we could not foresee how this would affect us. Like many restaurants, we also struggled to adjust during the recession. Finding a way to be prosperous for our guests and keep the business growing despite the economy was extremely difficult. A more internal challenge we faced was learning to deal with growing pains. When we went from one location to multiple and opened restaurants in different cities, it was hard not to be able to be everywhere at once. You have to hire the right people and trust them to uphold your vision, even when you’re not around.
Innovative Dining Group – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our restaurants offer guests the experience of escape from their day-to-day lives. They come to our restaurants to relax, dine, and socialize. What sets us apart from other companies is that even in an industry with high turnover, we are able to maintain a family atmosphere for our employees. We offer great benefits and take care of our people. We have many longstanding employees who have been with us since the beginning. We like to think of ourselves as a mom and pop company no matter how much we expand.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My partners deserve the credit as well. As a team, we created a collection of restaurants that are at the forefront of the L.A. dining scene. We also have a small group of successful investors who we have gone to over the years for advice. It’s definitely a team effort, and we’re fortunate to have maintained the success we have over the years. To continue to grow and expand as we approach our 20th anniversary in 2017, especially with our projects outside of Los Angeles, is incredibly exciting.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.innovativedininggroup.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idgrestaurants/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IDGRestaurants/?fref=ts
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/idgrestaurants
