When Nick Nasrollahi took a night job at a fast food
restaurant in college, he never thought it would lead him to his
own QSR empire, but that’s exactly what happened.
At the age of eighteen, Nasrollahi fled his native Iran as a
refugee in a 7-day struggle escaping through mountains and desert
and, finally, moving to the U.S. for a new beginning. He took a job
at a fast food restaurant to pay the bills, but soon realized he
was learning just as much on the job as in the
classroom.
“I learned how to build relationships, and the importance of
having a sense of urgency and critical thinking. Although textbooks
often address these in theory, living it is another story,” said
Nasrollahi.
Nasrollahi flourished in his role. In fact, he was promoted
eleven times, prompting him to pursue a career in the QSR industry.
He spent the next 25 years working in fast food in positions
ranging from training to management to business
development. His fate was sealed when he met Dave Meldrum, a
retired financial consultant who became a close friend. They began
to look for a business to invest in together, with Meldrum being
the financial backer and Nasrollahi running operations.
Nasrollahi was familiar with Checkers & Rally’s
from his time spent in Southern California, but when he realized
that there were no locations in his adopted home of Las Vegas, he
knew the iconic drive-thru brand was exactly what Sin City needed.
Meldrum came out of retirement, moved to Las Vegas and the two
started their company, Food in the Fast Lane, by signing a
five-unit deal with Checkers & Rally’s.
They opened their first restaurant, and the first in the market for
the brand, in 2009.
Nasrollahi has been growing the brand ever since. He and
Meldrum now own and operate seven
Checkers restaurants in the Las Vegas area
with more in development.
Nasrollahi attributes his success to his ever-growing team and
the opportunity to achieve the American Dream that he was given by
moving to the U.S. He loves bringing jobs to his community and
counts the Founding Fathers among his role models.
“In 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, it
wasn’t just a document; it was and is a masterpiece put to work by
some very intelligent, selfless and visionary patriots,” he
said.
While Nasrollahi’s masterpieces are of the culinary variety,
his growth shows no signs of stopping. He’s set the lofty goal of
eventually owning more than 20 Checkers locations in Nevada.
Now, as he reflects on fleeing his home country, leaving his
friends and family, Nasrollahi sees his earlier life in a new
light. “Today, I consider those unfortunate events (at that time)
to be the best thing that ever happened to me. A wise man once
said, ‘what happens to us in life is just 10%. 90% is how we react
to it.’”
