IPN Spotlight: Irfaan Lalani (Chief Executive Officer, Vibe Restaurants)
A graduate of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, Irfaan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Vibe Restaurants. They currently own and operate 61 Little Caesars locations in 8 states and 2 Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.
What skills have helped you in your career?
The entrepreneurial spirit which I got from my parents at a young age along with leadership skills have helped me the most.
What do you wish you had known or done differently throughout your career?
I wish we had grown a little more slowly. Unit count is vanity, but cash flow is king. If I were to do it over again, I would invest more in our training platform.
What is next for you in your career?
To bring on a seasoned restaurant COO to help run Vibe Restaurants, which will allow me to focus on our company culture and diversification. To develop new brands.
What do you do for continuing education and improvement?
I am a board member of Washington DC’s Entrepreneur Organization (EO DC). Through EO I am to meet other entrepreneurs from a wide range of industries, hear thought provoking talks with industry leaders and coaches, and learn to be a better husband and parent.
What advice would you offer to others?
Do what you are passionate about, don’t focus only on the financial results, those will come if you are focused and love what you do.
Areas where you can help other Ismailis:
• Franchising
• Restaurants
• Scaling
• Hospitality
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