Wing Lam 8:08
asking us to franchise after we had, I think three stores? And we’re like now we’re not going to do that, right? So a friend of a friend said, Hey, I got this guy that’s going to move to Denver. And his name is Mike Donnelly. And he likes to come in, you know, open a franchise. And I’m like, You’re in real estate. What do you know about restaurants? He knows nothing. But I really like your I know your restaurant. And I’d like to open one in Denver, because I mean, real estate Denver is about to become the new hotspot. Because at the time, I think only so cool existed, you know, in the United States, and all of a sudden, lodo was the next one, you know, right around the same time. So this is like the early 90s, around 92, 93, whatever. Am I You’re crazy, but come and hang out with me and see if this is what you want to do. So he came spent about a year learning the business and like, yeah, I still like to do this. You know, I worked for grub and Alice, I know the real estate market really well. I got a great location on Blake Street, which was the original store. And we said, Okay, let’s do this. So we went out there. And sure enough, I had no idea how many Californians that already moved back to Denver. And Louis, I remember, in one of the first weeks that we were open, it was snowing outside, and people were standing outside in the snow waiting to get in. I’m like, This is crazy. I know we’re popular in California, but I had no idea how popular it would become in Denver. So we ended up opening, you know, a bunch of stores in the back of my head and said, Hey, this, this thing doesn’t work. It’s in Denver. Nobody’s going to hear about it. But it worked. I mean, we really took on, and right around the same time. There’s another huge chain starting up near the old Stapleton airport, but they were doing burritos. We’re doing tacos. I’m like, you know, we were two different worlds. And yeah, it worked out really well. And then Tom Uh, what Tom Sprung, who was the landlord ended up joining in a few years into the business. And they built an amazing real estate empire. We just we I think we all most of the locations were in Denver, and around Colorado. So over the years, we’ve we’ve opened a few closed a few because of not necessarily the best location. But he’s still our biggest territory. I think there’s about 10 stores in the Denver area. And they’ve done well, really well.
Chad Franzen 10:26
Yeah, great. What do you think so, you know, I’m sure like all restaurateurs, you guys have had your ups and downs, but you’ve had incredible longevity, what do you think is kind of the the reason for that, the keys to that?
Wing Lam 10:37
I think the big thing for us is we always went up to the kids, which is kind of counter right. But if you think about it, some of the biggest guys in the world, we will name who think they targeted kids in any brands today to get them young. It’s the brand for them for life. So we got guys, they’re in their 40s 50s and 80s. Today, they’re like, oh my god, I went there, and I love it. Okay, so we went after. And what happens is, when you go after kids, the brand kind of stays fresh, because there’s always a new set of kids every year. So as they grow up, hopefully they’re branded and they love what you’re doing. Right. And then you just keep fostering the kids. So skate surf BMX, all that is for young kids, the majority of the stars of those sports, they tend to be younger, you know, they’re all less than 25. You know, in most cases, by 10, they’re 14 Already professional in their sports. So if you can get them at six, by the time, they’re 10, they’re in it for life kind of a thing. So we have been doing the X Games to do tour, all the major, you know, I call it fun action sports space. And along the way, there’s always entertainment. So we managed to pick up a lot of really cool bands from the early days. I mean, blink 182, a lot of those bands that were there, they happen to be doing the soundtrack for all the videos. So we just have to be at the video premiere with the same band that was part of it. And we say, Hey, we’re here might as well hang out. Have no idea who these guys were other than your cool guys. They’re doing the soundtrack anyway. And the rest is literally again, you know, we keep more of that as how do you know these guys? Because I knew when they were kids, you know? So it’s been?
Chad Franzen 12:16
Yeah, sounds great. So what what were you doing when the when the pandemic started kind of early in 2020? What were you doing just kind of plugging along with Yahoo’s?
Wing Lam 12:25
Well, it kind of an interesting thing is, we were noticing, I think he was February what was happening to big cities like Seattle, New York, and I think San Francisco were the first wave of cities to get hit. And we’re like Ken said, We’re gonna come to Southern California. And I don’t remember the exact date. I’m sure you can. But all I remember is having going to a concert on a Tuesday night, and we were going to the old forum, and a friend of mine had flown in from New York. And we were all meeting about an hour before the concert ended up. We all got to the same place about two hours before. And we’re like, oh my god, there was no traffic on the freeway. He said, Oh, my God coming in from New York, on a flight have a big those airplanes started, this was a 10% for like, something’s going on. And we’re like, Hey, we’re gonna go see, you know, this hip hop and blah, blah, blah. And we just got more time now to all hang out. So we’re all hanging out having drinks. And we’re like, damn, this is never gonna happen. Right? Well, that was basically the last live event that we all went to. Because the next day, Governor Newsom, this makes the announcement, everything nonessential, you’re going to shut down or be you know, take out only whatever it was, but the takeout part came after, you’re going to be shut down. Right? So that was Wednesday. By Friday of that week, we had lost 85% of our business. He became like a restaurant. Oh my God, it is empty. So normally a lunch, two to three to 400 customers and lunch. We have like 20 And we’re like what the hell right? And it was takeout only right in the supermarket that’s when you know the cost goes in Walmart’s we’re all running out of toilet paper Lysol, that you couldn’t find anything. Luckily for us, we had plenty of it for the office. So we said well, let’s fertile everybody see? Because then remember what they said? It’s gonna be a few weeks, right? So let’s just furlough everybody. Send them home with all the dry goods. We have toilet paper, rice beans. Let’s get some fruit that said some of the frozen items and we know the proteins to chicken and let’s hit everybody with some because you know, just in case because the two weeks are home to eat. Right. And we still had a lot of prep. I items. So I basically say, hey, to my friend, why don’t we just go out and make some deliveries to hospital systems are gonna go bad anyway, and nobody’s coming in. So I really would go around to all of our locations and pick up stuff and take it to the local, you know, police fire, whatever it was. And within about four deliveries, my brother goes, eight, let me remind you that we’re at 5% down, we’re down to our last pieces of chicken, whatever, and we’re going to buy more, I can’t afford for me to buy and you to give it away. You’re gonna have to figure something out if you want to keep doing what you’re doing.
Chad Franzen 15:41
So what did you do?
Wing Lam 15:44
So, I call the few like, charity friends and like, what are you doing with that money that you had set aside for the gala? The golf tournament? I knew that everything got canceled. And I mean, the answer does nothing. And there’s you know, what? Can I borrow that $1,000 mean given to me and I, why would I give it to you? Because Because you and I are going to go to a hospital together and deliver food, and they’re really gonna think you are crazy. Have you not been listening to the news? Stay at home shelter in place, right? If you don’t need to go don’t go out. I mean, the freeways here were empty. I mean, trust me, right? So I’m like, Okay, right, they have nothing to do. So I call my other friends from Monster Energy drink, Hint water, Clif Bar, and yogurt. And I basically asked him the same questions. What do you guys do me like? Nothing. We were told, don’t even bother coming to the office, work remotely. There’s nothing going on, we cancelled everything. I said, What are you doing with all the products? That was that you was earmarked for this? Like? It’s going to expire? This? Give it to me? Because what are you going to do with it? Because I’m going to take it to the hospital with me. You know, like, you’re gonna go, you know, like, can we come with you, of course, you can come in and delivering food, hot food, drinks, and you’re grilling and snacks. Oh, my God, that gratitude from somebody who basically was in a hospital, they could only come outside, we never went in the hospital. It was like, why was what what we want to thank you guys for taking care of whatever it is that you’re taken care of. Right? It’s because all the hospitals, everybody’s working doubles triples, it was crazy, because they’re the only people really working right? We even went to our distributors, because again, all the events got canceled. So we went to our distributors. What about the drivers, because now instead of driving stuff to us, restaurants are driving to supermarkets. They were all working double. So we will go and deliver to the distribution centers. So all the marketing dollars that was set aside for us to do golf tournaments with Pacific kobir, to like, When can you go to this distributor? Can you remember? Yes, we’ll go anywhere, right. So the craziest logistic is for where I am in Orange County, to get to downtown LA where USC is on a Friday, easily two hours without even thinking about it. Right. And for USC to get to the area near the Ontario airport, at least two hours minimum, right. So on a Friday afternoon, I get a call right before I’m getting ready to leave. And it’s literally like five o’clock, I’m in Orange County, and I have to get over to Ontario. She goes, the yogurt that you’re supposed to have. It’s nowhere to be found. The only store that has it is in downtown LA. And it seems like so what are you saying goes If you want your work for your six o’clock delivery, you gotta go and pick it up. So I’m like, let’s see what happens. I get on the freeway, and I get to USC 30 minutes. There’s nobody on the road. And I’m like, This is crazy. But I’m at a C dirtiness rap that you know, 100 something years, thrown in the back of my truck, and zip out to Ontario up there in 30 minutes. So when normally would take me at least four hours to do I did one hour, which I’ve never been able to do it ever. But that was the first like six months of the pandemic. You could go anywhere in Southern California and within minutes. So we became really, really efficient at packaging the food, putting the frozen yogurts, the drinks and all that and going. So all my competitors were like, Oh my God, how can you do that for that? And I’m like, Why do you mean what? Because we’re doing it at cost. We just need to cover our labor and the food costs. That’s all we need to cover. I’m not trying to make money. We’re all my competitors are trying to deliver a meal. at retail. We would deliver Clif bars we know how expensive they are a cup of frozen yogurt, drinks, Monster Energy and, and food for less than what they were delivering for one meal. So they didn’t realize we’re not here to make money. We’re here to you know, keep us all alive. So I prevented additional stores from closing, we did lose about five stores independently, I could not bring them back. But I kept four additional stores from closing by literally bouncing around town and goes to the I’m gonna pick up food from here. So in my head, I knew every week you got to divide and conquer, it would have been much easier just to go to one location, but I kept going around. So keep the stores busy. And the saving grace was we got a little bit of money. Then the big company saw what we were doing, and how did the big companies see what we were doing. We partner with KLOS is the number one radio station in Southern California. And KTLA in the number one news station. They said, Let us give you coverage. And I’m like, What do you mean, there’s nothing going on in the news. It’s all bad news. COVID COVID COVID, you’re the only one doing anything. So we’ll plug you and basically will give you the platform to talk about what you’re doing. So that mean everything they created KLOS last Heidi and Frank created a GoFundMe page for us. Because let’s ask our listeners, and that might you’re gonna have to listen to this. Yes, we’re gonna ask the listeners to donate money to you guys. So obviously, we started getting all this money and in corporate guy start giving us well, what do you do? There paint, loan depot, Subaru of North America, they’re like, we’ll give you some money. I might, how’d you guys find out was, we heard about it on the radio. And we love what you’re doing. So the machine where everybody else in the country, a lot of people did what I did, the problem that they didn’t have is they didn’t know how to keep it going. It’s easy to get $1 One time, but in the charity world, you got to be able to come back again. Otherwise, it’s not sustainable. By having a media partner asked on our behalf, it became the most amazing experience ever, because instead of them say, hey, and by the way, you got to pay us for the advertising. Because we’re all in this together. Let’s get through this. So I had been on the radio once a week for almost two and a half years, which is unheard of. And I should have been paying him millions of dollars with it. We’re here to help you because you are doing something that nobody else has thought of. So it was a survival, but turned into this machine, this movement. And this is the shirt that I still wear literally almost everyday they can feel as though if people ask them, How are you guys still doing it right now, in the last six months, we’ve been supporting other charities, with their volunteers because nobody ever takes care of the volunteers. Like, we’re here. And we still have money. So we get $1. And don’t spend $1 or $2. And we’re not here to make money. We’re here to support everybody. And the brands. We’ve gotten back to school supplies with that makeup companies. I mean, Jan’s synergent did amazing. So when we show up, imagine there was collaboration for a movie wonder woman that came out in 2021, or 2020. I think, was it early 2021. I think came out on video around there. Yeah. Comics, right? Well, the collaboration was in a car with a diaper bag made by Jujubee. This means retail for a couple of 100 bucks each. So when we were celebrating our 100th Drop, we said, how cool would it be to give each nurse one of these? Right? So that’s what we did. So we came out and we have these, again, a nurse with a Wonder Woman how perfect. I mean, I couldn’t have staged it any better. Right? And they’re like, oh my god, you guys are amazing. So the same thing because it was so newsworthy in the middle of this pandemic, right? The news comes out and they’re covering life, and people are looking at, you realize that you are at the most infected Hospital in all of Southern California. There’s more dead bodies behind this hospital than anywhere in Southern California. What in the hell are you guys doing there? Was we’re thanking the nurses for doing what they do. So what better way to do it not just food drinks frozen, but with gifts. And you’re like, oh my god, we brought 300 bags. All the nurses were like, Oh my god. So for the first time independently, we’re normally we get like five nurses to come out. We had 300 of them come out because I want to bag as we’re comes out because we can go in. So once the first one got it, they just like 20, 30 at a time will come out and we’ll just hand it to them.
Chad Franzen 24:39
So did were You were you worried that you were going into an infected area or just put a mask on and have faith that you’re doing the right thing?
Wing Lam 24:46
We had faith and knock on wood through the thick of the pandemic. Only one of our team members got it but he didn’t get it at a delivery. He got it because he happened to be inside of a supermarket. Remember, we’re all making consumer products. He was doing a display. And he noticed that two of the other people at the middle of the night doing the display, they didn’t have their masks on. And he looked a little strange. I know there’s nobody here, but shouldn’t just have your mask on. He didn’t think anything of it. Next thing you know, he was the only guy who got it in 2020. Then, in the spring of 2021, when they started to open things up, a couple more people got it because of all places, they went to Vegas. Right? Just, it was just like, yeah, it was useful. And then, by the end of 2021, when everybody was already vaccinated, and everybody’s happy, then the family gatherings. So sure enough, all of us at the beginning of this year, over the holiday that week of the holiday, that’s when everybody in our whole team got it. Right. And then I just found out that our last member that survived all of this was traveling last week between here Vegas, Texas, and she goes to Hawaii for graduation. She lands Hawaii last week. Feeling that good. gets tested in the last one. But luckily, with everybody, you know, made it through. We didn’t lose a few friends. You know, mom’s uncles. I mean, we did lose a few. But for the most part, everybody that was on the immediate California liftoff team, we all made it through.
Chad Franzen 26:33
So when you when you made that first trip to the hospital, I’m guessing you thought that would be like a one or two time thing it didn’t. You weren’t going to be doing that for the extended time or extended period.
Wing Lam 26:43
Yeah, literally when we went to Hofstra, okay, we got a little bit of money, we’ll make a few. We got like two or three weeks of this is going to be over. And it just kept on No, we and remember what the malls that kept opening closing and we still have the whole Black Lives Matter thing. I mean, the whole thing was just the worst timing ever. So that’s a really shut down the LA stores. Because nobody in LA County was going out. Because all the looting all the stuff that was going on. So we ended up losing almost all of our la stores except for one in Torrance. I mean, it literally cleaned us out. So a combination of us trying to renegotiate our leases and COVID Hitting we’re like, dude, unless you come down. And by the time COVID hit, even if they give it to us for free, it wouldn’t have been worth it. Because there was nobody going out in LA, for literally almost a year. You know, really? Yeah.
Chad Franzen 27:37
So what are your What are your some of your goals or your plans with both Wahoo’s and California Love Drop moving forward?
Wing Lam 27:44
Well, one were for us, which we’ve been testing quite a bit is a plant based protein, we find it landed on the one, we really really love what we’re doing right now. Because, again, a big thing in everybody can check your sources. There’s way too many ingredients and most plant based proteins, and a little bit higher on the sodium side. So we found a really, really clean one that we liked. So we’re getting ready to launch that shortly. It’s been a year testing. But again, issues with supply chain, getting it all that it’s a one ingredient plant base, it’s a protein and that’s the only ingredient in it. So it’s really clean, pretty low in sodium as well. So we really like it. So that’s next right now. We’re looking at new locations as well, because things are getting back up. And so we should be open reopen in Austin, Texas this fall, knock on wood, we lost our partner there. It wasn’t to COVID cancer did come back and get him. So we have a new guy, Jesse that we’ve been working with for a couple of years. We should be hopefully up and running by fall. And then a couple more locations around town. And the cool thing is the California withdrawal. We’ve gone from just doing I think hospitals to events where you know, our friends are doing golf tournaments. They say everything is charity based food banks. We just had the most successful event for SOS, one of the soup kitchens, where they normally do an event called SOS wild and crazy taco night, where a bunch of restaurant guys come together and make their version of a taco. So this year, because we use a different venue. It was you know, we netted over $100,000 was the most successful year they’ve ever had. And it doesn’t hurt that for the last two years of the event. We didn’t do a drive to last year. It was okay. You know people literally got all their food in containers. But again, there’s community came out to support that more than you know trying to anything else. But this year, I mean, our team alone in our little BART station, we made over 1000 margaritas so that tells you it was a pretty successful event. You know, so we’re getting ready and today I just came back from beach cleanup. Orange Coast Coast keepers. That was really fun. Yesterday, we teamed up with another Orange County one of their credit unions, we had free gas for the first 300 guests of our military. So if you could bring an ID proof that you are either current or retired, you can get up to 20 gallons free. It was amazing as our team, you could pump enough gas out there right line around the block. So those are the kinds of things we’re doing right now. And then outside of the it’d be more of a call it a fun day, where our team will be teamed up with other guys for the Fast and Furious franchise. One of them His name is Cody Walker, Paul Walker’s older brother. And it’s an event called Fuel Fest. And we’re all gonna get together, hang out, have a little bit of fun music, fast cars, and get to hang out with a bunch of celebrities. But the same thing, this is the group that every year, the coming up in December will be our 10th annual Toy Drive. So the same thing they use their notoriety to bring all the cartoons just out. And we’ve done 10 years apologize. So this is what it is more fun on the side. Just celebrating being out and about, you know, next week, we got a bunch of Red Cross blood drives with anthos. Ruthie, so we’re just, you know, it just keeps changing. But you know, it keeps moving.
Chad Franzen 31:22
Yeah. Sounds great. I have one more question for you. But first, just tell me how people can find out more information about why hose and about California Love dropped
Wing Lam 31:31
a while was just was taught calm. And you can then you know, depending on what state you’re in, you know, check out the corporate site and check in the local and California Love drop.org. We’re on all the different platforms. And we do a weekly video recap with our partners with Keller less. So you get to hear my voice, you know, on the background of the videos and all the images of things in places we’ve done. And it’s a pretty cool movement. And like I said, you can always go to the GoFundMe page, donate some money, which will keep the movement going. Or if you have a suggestion of somebody that you know, that’s a frontliner where they work at send us a little notice. Hey, we really cool if you guys could deliver some goodies to you know, this hospital that police station is fire station. Oh, this school. So what we do is we find money and we find places to go. So sometimes the money comes with a specific as to hey, my cousin works here. Can you guys deliver, you know, 100 meals there? You know, in today’s like oh see housekeepers. They’re going to big benefactor partner of ours for years, because we have a lot of stuff with the environment. And Makenna Makenna Makenna okay with that I’m gonna screw up the knee. But her mom is a friend of mine. So she may be really cool if you guys could do this, right? Yeah, we know they are. Really easy beach cleanup piece of cake. Yeah,
Chad Franzen 32:54
great. Yeah. Wow. Very cool. Okay, final question for you. You know, you’re the founder of a restaurant that’s been around for decades. Do you have when you go there as a customer? Do you have like a go to item or like a favorite thing that you always get?
Wing Lam 33:07
My favorite thing is doesn’t matter what mood a protein I’m into getting the rice and beans. So the thing that sets us really apart from all the competition is the rice and beans that we make is a white race lightly season in a vegetarian white beans. It’s basically the staple foods of Brazil where I grew up the differences. The beans in Brazil have every pork piece that you can think of. That’s what gives you that amazing flavor. We found a way to season it, you know, with not normal seasoning without having to report stuff. And that to me when you mix the two together with a little salsa and use your chips to dip it’s just it’s it’s a really comforting, you know, brings you back to when you’re a kid, you know And most kids do, which is funny. Most of our customers kids, if they’re regular. The first solid food they eat is rice and beans will be sweet.
Chad Franzen 33:58
Yeah, very nice. Very nice. Hey, hey, Wing. It’s been great to talk to you. I really appreciate your time and really appreciate your stories and best of luck with everything moving forward. Thank you so much.
Wing Lam 34:08
Yeah, looking forward to seeing you.
Chad Franzen 34:10
You too. So one, everybody.
Outro 34:11
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