![]() ![]() "I took over in 2016, and what I did immediately was I took what I learned from Dunkin'," Zak said. Lippin had another idea: Since he was ready to retire, why not sell the entire operation to Zak and Ray? Zak loved the product and the brand and asked Lippin about opening a franchise. Then he had a conversation with Adam Lippin, the founder of a much-beloved chicken wing restaurant called Atomic Wings. A return to the original businessĪs Zak was finishing chemotherapy and radiation in 2015, he began to look for another opportunity to grow his franchising business and honor his father's legacy, but nothing seemed to click. "They've spent the time and the money and the resources to do that research and taste testing."īut just as they were hitting their stride, tragedy struck.įor Zak, it was leukemia, and for Mo, it was the brain cancer that would eventually claim his life. "They're the ones getting the name out in front of potential customers and providing you with the recipe manual that says this is how it's done," he said. The Omars knew a lot about the food-service business already, but Zak said being a franchisee for a national brand came with several key advantages. "It wasn't something that he just handed out to us, but it was something that without him would not have been possible." "My father said, 'as much as as much money as you can invest, that's how much of a partner you are,'" Zak recalled. The three men gathered their savings and inked a five-location agreement, dividing the ownership proportionally to their contribution. Mo had actually passed on opening an early location in the 1990s, a decision he had been regretting as Dunkin's popularity surged. The Omars remained close throughout, and in 2010 an opportunity to become franchisees with Dunkin' Donuts presented itself. ![]() Meanwhile, Ray enlisted in the Special Forces where he served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, rose to the rank of captain, and became a civilian consultant to the Army. Mo reinvested the profits from the chicken business to build a warehouse and supply operation for other New York food vendors, which helped Zak go to college and a career in IT sales. They didn't realize it then, but several entrepreneurial seeds were planted during that time. "It was really interesting to see the lines wrapped around the block, and how we would interact with everyone from the vice president of the bank to the cafeteria worker."Īfter the day's rush ended, Mo would make the long drive back to Queens while his sons would concoct new recipes to spice up their late lunch of left-over chicken nuggets. "He took us to work when I was about 12, and was 15, and we got to see what he did on daily basis and kind of see the hard work that he put in," Zak said. When Mo Omar immigrated to the US from Afghanistan in 1980, he quickly set about building a business around fried chicken, which he served from a food truck outside the Chase Manhattan building in New York City's financial district. What began as culinary experimentation in the back of their father's food truck has since transformed into a growing food portfolio that includes several Dunkin Donuts locations and their own brand, Atomic Wings, of which Zak is the CEO.īusiness Insider spoke with Zak about the road he, his brother, and their late father, Mo, took to grow their business from a single chicken truck, to a multi-unit franchisee, to becoming franchisors in their own right. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Įver since Zak and Ray Omar were kids, they've loved fried chicken.Įven more than the nuggets, the brothers loved conjuring up unique recipes for sauces for dipping the crispy morsels.Business Insider spoke with Zak about the road he, his brother, and their late father, Mo, took to grow their business.The Omars began in a food truck owned by their father, and now hold nine Dunkin' Donuts franchise locations as well as a growing chicken wing brand, Atomic Wings.Zak and Ray Omar have built a quick-service empire by focusing on high-quality food and top-notch customer service.
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