David Mizrahi is the founder of Salt Restaurant Group, the hospitality company behind five restaurants on the Jersey Shore in just five years - including the world-famous Salt Steakhouse.

David’s story is anything but traditional. He dropped out of high school, made millions in real estate as a teenager, and then shifted into hospitality, where he’s now redefining what a kosher dining experience can look like.

In this episode, we dive into his journey - from building businesses at 16, to scaling Salt into a powerhouse brand, to the sacrifices and lessons he’s learned along the way.

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(00:00 ) Coming up…

(02:37 ) Making $100k at 16 years old

(04:52 ) Why David worked at pizza/falafel shops

(05:30 ) Dropping out of high school

(07:07 ) If you could go back in time, would you drop out of high school?

(07:24 ) Making millions per year at 18 in the foreclosure business

(09:53 ) Why didn’t you stay in real estate?

(11:24 ) Selling his foreclosure company

(12:10 ) Has anybody ever doubted you?

(12:55 ) Buying his first restaurant and turning it profitable

(16:32 ) Yazdi Entertainment

(17:26 ) Uncovering hidden value

(18:35 ) David’s playbook for opening profitable restaurants

(19:58 ) Receiving a piece of devastating feedback

(21:34 ) Opening up a restaurant during COVID

(24:03 ) Why didn’t you delay the launch until after the pandemic?

(25:20 ) David’s arrangement with Kushner Companies

(28:16 ) Investing other people’s money

(29:26 ) 5 restaurants in 5 years: at what point are you expanding too quickly?

(30:16 ) Competing with yourself

(30:56 ) Did you ever feel like you spread yourself too thin?

(32:00 ) How do you manage 5 restaurants?

(33:38 ) Partnerships and exit strategies

(34:57 ) Doing business with family and friends

(35:55 ) Biggest failure: not seeing his wife or 1st child

(36:54 ) Living apart from his family when first opening Salt

(39:51 ) Life Vault Films

(41:08 ) Behind-the-scenes restaurant nightmares

(44:52 ) Tips to get into the restaurant business

(46:45 ) 1st step to take if you want to open a high-end steakhouse

(48:44 ) Serving as a firefighter

(50:19 ) Giving back through his restaurants

(51:32 ) What’s next for you?

(52:51 ) Franchising kosher restaurants

(54:31 ) Momentum Moment

(55:36 ) Life’s challenges and failures

(58:47 ) 3 key takeaways