On this episode I have the founder and owner of the Lemon Tree Co. restaurant, Jasson Parra. I had a blast getting to know Jasson and recording with him and I hope you enjoy our conversation.
Jasson has worked in the restaurant industry his entire adult life, starting at Mcdonalds at 16. He was drawn to bartending after a few years and applied for a job in a restaurant he really wanted to work with. He physically went back three consecutive days after the interview to see if he got the job. They told him “no” but he could be a busboy. He gladly took the job and worked his way up to bartender in 6 months. This is a prime example of what Jasson’s work ethic was like at a young age.
Jasson’s other passion is acting. There was a period of time that he was involved in theater and he really enjoyed every aspect of it. The camaraderie, the hard work and entertaining others were all things that are embedded in his DNA. Acting never really popped for him the way he wanted it to, but we discuss what those days meant to him. He helped me understand how closely linked theater and restaurants really are. “They are both about putting on a show”.
Jasson was given the opportunity to open the Yard House in the Village in Meridian. After convincing his wife to visit Idaho, they moved up and fell in love with our state. After the Yard house and a stint managing and opening numerous Freddies frozen custard and Steakburgers, he decided to open something he could call his own.
The restaurant business is notoriously difficult. You have to make a good first impression to new clients for a LONG time. This builds repeat customers and word of mouth which are the two most important things a restaurant needs in its first year.
Jasson had over 20 years of on the job training before opening his doors. He had a huge advantage with the depth of his knowledge in staffing, training, working with vendors, working with customers, food and drink preparation, point of sale systems, creating menus and many others I am sure I am not even aware of.
The Lemon Tree Co. opened its doors in March of 2018 and by his account, they had a really good year. Now it is time to fine tune operations, optimize its systems and have a wildy successful year 2, with sights set on opening another location in year 3.
My thanks to Jasson for coming in and sharing his story with me. Go check him out at the links below, or better yet, go have a sandwich at the Lemon Tree Co. The Peruvian sandwich is insane!
