Building Community Through Building a Business

Two young Kelowna entrepreneurs are bringing back the idea of regulars and around-the-table conversation through their unique local burger joint.

Jared Lee, co-founder and owner of Central Kitchen and Bar in Kelowna, got his Masters degree in business and always had an interest in restaurants.

The 31-year-old had been working at Earls for seven years with his business partner Devon Murray, 32, (who was there for 12 years) which definitely helped get their business on its feet.

“We thought we could do something a little bit more personal, a little creative, and that’s kind of where Central came from,” Lee said.

They started the business in September 2014 and opened their doors on Oct. 26.

While Earls is very “dialed in,” according to Lee, everything is done very “by the book.”

“Whereas with Central, we wanted to be really creative, come up with menu items when we wanted to, deliver the kind of customer experience we wanted to and basically build a mission and vision around our food and our people and our atmosphere we can feel really, really proud of.”

Lee describes being a young entrepreneur as exciting, stressful and scary all at once.

“But it’s really, really fulfilling and we’re really proud of what we’ve done. It is a lot of work and no matter how much you think you know what you’re getting yourself into, I don’t care how many books you read, how many articles you read, how many people you talk to, you will always underestimate how much work it is,” Lee said.

Even though it’s difficult, the packed restaurant shows their success.

“I’m really proud of it and glad that we’re relatively young because we have the energy to do it.”

Lee credits their success to targeting locals and building regulars.

“A lot of restaurants in the past in Kelowna were built for tourists, the summer months and we felt there was a glaring hole in the market to attract people from Kelowna,” he explained. “Eight months of the year, we wanted to focus on people who are like, ‘let’s come here three or four times a week.’”

Their inspiration? Cheers!

Besides Central Kitchen and Bar, which is the duo’s main business, they also run Central Sports Club and Express Juice Company.

Lee said one of the hardest aspects is controlling everything without micromanaging and they focus on making sure all their employees are adequately prepared for different situations.

If you’re starting a business, before you go buying your private jet, Lee said you probably have quite a ways to go.

“You have to make money first,” he said, laughing. “People like the idea of being an entrepreneur because it is really cool, you get to call your own shots, but you have to also be accountable for those decisions.

“It’s not like, ‘Oh, I can get up at 11 o'clock, go to work by noon and go home at 5 p.m. You have to be really dedicated to the business, dedicated to your craft and ensuring that your customers are being taken care of, because this industry is extremely competitive in Kelowna.”

According to Lee, over 90 per cent of new restaurants fail. While many people might call him crazy for diving right in to that mess, including many people he went to school with, Lee never hesitated.

“This industry is needed right now. This industry won’t ever get automated, as technology advances, because it’s a really human experience,” Lee said. “It’s the one time in a day where you can actually get off your phone and have an organic conversation with somebody.”

As mentioned, the community has responded in an overwhelmingly positive way. “It’s amazing how people just want to support local.”

People in real estate, technology, other restaurants and retailers all show up there with their teams. To name a few, Okanagan Lifestyle and Lululemon Kelowna are a couple quintessential regulars.

If you are thinking about starting a business, Lee only has one thing to say.

“Do it. But only do it if you love it.”