Andrew K. Smith moved from a tech CEO background into hands-on restaurant work by starting as a dishwasher in his wife's bakery. The bakery launched during the 2008 financial crash, and Smith initially doubted the idea but supported his wife and ultimately joined when a dishwasher called out. Working in the dish pit provided practical, ground-level experience in restaurant operations. That direct operational exposure helped Smith transition into leadership and investment roles, culminating in his position as managing partner and co-founder of Savory Fund, a firm focused on scaling restaurant brands nationally.
On his first day in the restaurant business, Andrew K. Smith was the dishwasher. Not the investor. Not the strategist. Not the guy fixing tech stacks or analyzing labor margins. Just the guy at the sink, scrubbing trays, rinsing off sheet pans. It wasn't exactly what he had pictured when he told his wife he was ready for a new challenge.
Rewind a year. His wife had launched a bakery, a fast-casual dessert concept that opened in the middle of the 2008 financial crash. Smith, still deep in his tech CEO role, didn't exactly love the idea. "In my mind, I'm like, that's the worst idea," he now admits. "But you know what I responded? I was like, 'I think it's a great idea. Of course. And we should absolutely do that.'"
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