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Immigrant food is a group of restaurants with its flagship location situated in the heart of Washington, just steps from the White House. It celebrates the global flavors dropped at America by immigrants while difficult the narrative about immigrants in America. Owner Téa Ivanovic calls it “gastrroadvocacy.”
“The idea behind Immigrant Food was really about celebrating immigrants and their contributions through food and all the amazing recipes, spices and flavors that immigrants have been bringing to America for centuries – but also in a time where there is a lot of division,” says Ivanovic. “There is a lot of polarization in our country.”
For many corporations, the mission is personal. Ivanovic and her business partner Peter Schecter are immigrants and in 2018 they desired to challenge the rhetoric surrounding American immigrants. This is how Immigrant Food was born. “We simply didn’t recognize the country we found ourselves in,” he says. “So we wanted to do something really tangible to try to play a small part in fighting this intolerance.”
The menu has come a good distance since then. Instead of showcasing specific dishes from different cultures, Immigrant Food mapped the flavors and ingredients from multiple cultures and identified where they overlap. These similarities have led to dishes that remember spices and ingredients found in many cultures – a true celebration of the influence and contributions of immigrants.
Customers notice this when your mission permeates your product or service. In Yelp user Jazzy Lfrom the review stated that every inch of the restaurant is celebrated cultural diversityespecially food. “The food was delicious. I cannot emphasize this enough. If you like ethnic food, this is definitely the place to visit. They have food from all over the area. The food was served quickly, hot and flavorful. Definitely go visit this restaurant.”
Immigrant food is famous for its authenticity because it makes immigrants the heroes of every business decision. In fact, 99% of the staff are immigrants. As an entrepreneur, hiring employees those that truly stand behind the mission—and even live it—are the ones who stay in it the longest.
“People immediately felt a connection with the brand values,” says Ivanovic. “In addition to providing paid sick leave, paid parental leave, good pay and all of these benefits, people want to work somewhere where they feel the brand represents who they are. A brand called Immigrant Food that works on behalf of immigrants connects directly with them and I hope and believe that’s why people stay or turnover is very low.”
Like most restaurateurs, Ivanovic must make sure prices cover worker wages and advantages, in addition to rising ingredient costs. She explained that corporations considering a price change this must be justified by sound financial justification. “The average EBITDA, i.e. the profitability of a restaurant, is 5%,” he says. We’re talking about margins that are so small. So the difference between a small price increase and not having it on the menu ultimately determines the profitability of your enterprise.”
Ensuring expenses are covered is one hurdle, but multiplying that by 4 different locations is a whole other challenge. WITH multiple locationsensuring consistency across the board is a top priority, especially when it involves building a loyal team.
“When we knew we were ready to expand, we wanted to make sure we had the basics in place, which was a culinary director who was incredibly talented and knowledgeable, and a director of operations to make sure we had consistency and that it was the same every day when it comes to the quality we produce,” says Ivanovic. “It all depends on people. The people who started with us from the very beginning are now the chefs of every restaurant.”
In addition to its dynamic cuisine, Immigrant Food’s business model includes an educational element. By providing an “engagement menu” of 5 ways clients can engage with the immigrant community, offering space for non-governmental organization (NGO) events, and posting monthly “think tanks” on social media, Ivanovic turns her mission into reality.
“People want to do something,” he says. “People are interested in these issues. They care about social justice. They want to do something, but they are busy with life. They have children. They have a job. They won’t look for all the NGOs where they can volunteer. That’s why we wanted to make it very easy.”
One of the easiest ways to spread your message is through social media. Ivanovic advises business owners to not dismiss this channel as only relevant to younger generations. Instead, it’s a probability to draw customers with your enterprise personality.
“Honestly, be authentic. I think it worked,” he says. “When we write a letter from the founders, we write it personally and we really do it from the bottom of our hearts. These are the newsletters that have the highest open rates. When we post something like a behind the scenes photo of some of our employees, it gets the most likes. If you try to make it too curated, people see it as authentically as you can.”
Immigrant Food has remained true to its authentic brand by adhering to the following core principles:
- Make it a habit reading and responding to reviews. Feedback ratings are the only way you’ll learn how to improve your business and provide better customer service. Make reading reviews a weekly thing to motivate both you and your team.
- Your mission is your center of gravity. Every element of your business, from decoration to product, should clearly connect to your purpose.
- Reward loyalty to reduce turnover. As your business grows, loyalty is rewarded and building a reliable team is of great importance to maintain consistent quality and service.
- Showcase your authentic self on social media. Curated content may feel more like an advertisement than a real experience or feeling, so post content that reflects your brand’s personality.
Listen to the episode below to hear it directly Ivanovic and Jazzyand subscribe Behind the review for more information from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts AND Pandora.
Editorial contributions by Erin Palmero and Kristi Lindahl