We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Auditore. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.
Chris , thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
Working in the restaurant and service industry for over 3 decades, a positive and optomistic outlook is almost a must have every single day. The physical, mental and emotional challenges that present themselves when you’re interacting with the public or your team are second to none. It’s like the restaurant becomes the kitchen in your home, the place where everyone gathers , exhales and share their stories, emotions and feelings with each other, it’s truly a living breathing thing.
Thru the pandemic, and my layoff we learned that an optimisitc outlook was often the fuel for our creativity, and the motivation to work hard toward what our big dream would become.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Service thru sharing great food, and giving back to our community in many different ways is part of our mission as a young brand. Like many other entrepreneurs and small business owners out there, the road to success can be very long, and the reward doesnt always come quickly. We understood that an immediately learned that enjoying the journey along the way, while supporting and helping others on that same journey becomes monumental .
We don’t compromise the quality of our food to gain a few more percentage points in profit. We grow our business and brand with a focus on quality and service, which feeds the top line, sales. People will remember a positive interaction and great quality ingredients.
Our 5 year plan (we’re in year 3) sees Happy Panini expanding into our first brick and mortar location, with an expanded menu and a first of it’s kind Italian American Panini Cafe environment.
We launched and hosted our first 2 Kidpreneur Markets in 2023, that showcased young entrepreneurs and creators from the local Hutto community, presenting and selling their crafts and creations. It was a HUGE success. We beleive that giving young people the space and opportunity to express and launch their big ideas and dreams is a big momentum creator for them. Happy Panini wants to be known or their support of the young dreamer, risk taker and game changer.
All of this optimism, everyday, for our product, future and community is what brings us to the next stage in our business, gives us the strenght to move forward and builds the heart and foundation of any community we are part of.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Patience is Persistance are the 2 most important things any small business owner or entrepreneur must have. Also, you have to learn that despite your drive and focus, you cant do this alone, your have to surround yourself with others that will make your stronger, help foster ideas and provide insights and skills you may not possess.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
As we are preparing for expansion, capital to grow is always something thats a challenge for small business owners. In our industry, profits are small and growth is costly. We contine to plan, save and connect with others that can help slingshot our growth into our first brick and mortar location in Hutto. Always open to meeting positive and community focused investors
Our community, honestly has been the most helpful and supportive thru this entire process. Everyone from our friends, family and neighbors in Hutto, to church, community and city leadership. It’s been amazing and wonderful to be honest. No way we could be where we are without them
Contact Info:
- Website: www.happypanini.com
- Instagram: @theoriginalhappypanini
- Facebook: @happypanini
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-panini-hutto
