From courtroom to kitchen: in this episode, Kyle sits down with Denise Tran, the visionary founder and CEO who traded her law career for the high-stakes world of restaurant entrepreneurship. Hear the raw, unfiltered story behind Bun Mee's journey from passionate concept to scalable franchise powerhouse. Denise pulls back the curtain on how her Vietnamese heritage shapes every aspect of her business, the unexpected challenges of airport locations, and the critical systems that transformed her personal passion into a replicable model. If you've ever dreamed of turning your cultural food heritage into a thriving restaurant brand, this conversation delivers both the inspiration and the practical blueprint you've been searching for.

💡 Actionable Takeaways:

• How to define your purpose before launching a restaurant concept
• Critical steps for standardizing operations when preparing to scale
• Financial preparation strategies that prevent common growth disasters
• The real estate lessons Denise learned the hard way (so you don't have to)
• How to navigate market differentiation in an increasingly competitive landscape

🎯 Who This Episode Is For:

• First-time restaurant entrepreneurs looking for a realistic roadmap
• Established operators considering the franchise model
• Restaurant owners navigating cultural representation in their concepts
• Anyone interested in the intersection of personal heritage and commercial food
• Operators evaluating airport or non-traditional location opportunities

Connect with Denise on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-tran-aa97734/

Follow Bun Mee on IG:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-tran-aa97734/

Interested in learning more about becoming a franchisee at Bun Mee?

https://bunmee.co/franchise

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Thanks,

Kyle