Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Masry.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
We started our restaurant Bites in the Boro with the idea of bringing a fun, laidback restaurant atmosphere that provides quality, fresh foods with a menu targeted towards today’s restaurant goers. We wanted to fill the menu with hometown comfort food items and also add in some flavors that you may not know you love until you try it!
What started as a burgers and chicken joint quickly grew into a kick-back vibe where you can try anything from Southern Comfort fries, Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas, Greek Tacos, Texas Burgers, and some of the best salads you’re ever going to eat! We also offer a full bar with an ever-changing cocktail selection. The menu truly packs a punch and offers a selection that would appeal to every palate.
Our first location, being much smaller in size, opened in 2015. Only a few short years later, we moved to a location on the 301 bypass here in the ‘Boro that allowed us to more than double our size and capability at the request of our favorite customers and loyal fans.
Over the years, we have had the pleasure of serving our community 6 days a week – we are closed on Sundays – and being a part of big moments in our customers lives. Being near Georgia Southern University means our staff is often college students and we get to serve the most meals during special occasions such as local game days, GSU move in operations, and graduations. Of course, it is also our locals that keep us going strong all year. Without the support of the local community, it would be hard to stay the course and keep serving up what we do best – which is providing amazing food and great service.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Let me tell you, we have seen more than our share of struggles. And, it took a lot of patience, determination, and perseverance to keep going these past ten years. Perhaps the biggest struggle in our restaurant experience came only one year after being open. I say this was the biggest struggle because it was a bit of a legal issue and battle that was out of our hands. In the restaurant world, it takes time to start making money and breaking even. We were so patient and dedicated to get through the first year, and at around the one year mark – we actually saw our numbers break even! At that time, that was all we wanted. Just to stop bleeding payments and get the word out about Bites in the Boro. No sooner than we saw a light at the end of the tunnel, we found out that our restaurant equipment (we bought it from a seller who was closing a former restaurant in that same location that we began to rent) had been illegally and fraudulently sold to us. Even though we had used a broker through the sale, it fell through the cracks that the ‘seller’ had never paid off the loans to the bank that technically owned all of the equipment that we just purchased. It was a big mess. We simply did not have the amount needed to purchase all of the equipment all over again, and had no choice but to close down our restaurant. But, thankfully this was only the beginning of a new era. In only a few short days, the story spread about what had happened to us and our dream of a small restaurant. Before we knew it, our customers had created a GoFundMe and actually raised enough money for us to buy the equipment we needed to start grilling again! It was like a dream, honestly. Now, it wasn’t all roses because when we posted on our social media exactly what happened, we were threatened by the bank to take the story down. The said bank also received negative attention by locals putting signs in their parking lot saying ‘we don’t support local businesses’. We actually never knew who put those signs up, but we were secretly cheering from the sidelines where we had to be hushed about the truth of the experience.
The negative experience truly turned out positively for us in the long run. We were able to re-open feeling more determined than ever before to make this business happen! And, now, almost a decade after that experience, we couldn’t be more grateful for all the lessons we’ve learned through the day to day struggles.
We’ve been impressed with Bites in the Boro, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
One of the most exciting parts about our restaurant is that in the past two years we have worked really hard to make it available as a franchise investment option for new business owners. Check out our listing with www.franchisemagazingusa.com
The Bites IN THE BORO restaurant franchise was created with community in mind and offers a casual dining experience that caters to anyone looking for a great meal in an upbeat atmosphere. We designed our menu to appeal to a wide guest base, with a world of craveable dishes and a vibrant, engaging setting perfect for high-traffic areas.
Our operating model is built around quality and flexibility and reflects our commitment to fresh ingredients and homemade touches. It’s a business model designed for franchise owner growth and aligns with the needs of today’s diners, who expect and demand variety and quality.
As Bites IN THE BORO continues to grow, our customer-first philosophy sets us up for expansion into new communities nationwide. Our welcoming environment, combined with our obsession with superior customer experiences and a deliciously diverse menu, positions our love at first bite brand as a community favorite and customer destination wherever we open our doors. Wanna Bite?
Check out our official restaurant website @ https://www.bitesintheboro.com
And our Franchise Development website @ https://bitesintheborofranchise.com
For experienced and new business owners!
We guide you along the process from site selection, build out, ordering/suppliers, grand opening, and throughout the lifetime of your business.
LOW Franchise Fee of only $34,000 and minimal Royalty fee of 4.5%*
If you are looking for a business model built for owner growth and area development, Bites in the Boro is a great investment opportunity to bring a successful and loved brand to your hometown!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
The restaurant industry is always growing and adapting to the changes in people’s daily lifestyles, eating habits, and dietary wants and needs.
We know that there will always be new ways to dine-out in today’s world. We believe that continuing to offer a menu selection that appeases to many different tastes and lifestyle needs is what is going to continue to set us apart and lead to brand growth for our future franchisees.
In the next 5-10 years, seeing our brand expand into the rest of Georgia and surrounding states would be the ultimate goal and dream for us. We know that the brand we have established is so worth the hard work and dedication it takes to make the restaurant operate day to day.
By spreading awareness about our specific brand, we can’t wait to see where we can go next within the restaurant industry. We have high ambitions of seeing the Bites in the Boro logo in more college towns and larger cities very soon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bitesintheboro.com
- Instagram: bites_intheboro
- Facebook: Bites in the Boro
- Other: https://www.bitesintheborofranchise.com
