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Army Injury Can't Sideline Restaurant Owner
A
debilitating knee injury may have ended four-year Army veteran Mark
Walter’s time in the military, but the Fredericksburg, Virginia
resident has used the experiences and training he gained in the service
to his best advantage by applying his military skills toward running
a successful fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain. Since Walter parted
ways with the Army in 1990 and later earned his bachelor’s degree
in marketing from Penn State University, he led a successful 15-year
career as a sales and marketing executive in the publishing industry
before finding his niche in franchising.
Walter opened his first Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina location in
2007 in Fredericksburg, Virginia and his second location opened the
following year in nearby Manassas. Fueled by the growing popularity
of fast-casual Mexican cuisine and his dedication to the brand, Walter
is planning to expand Salsarita’s further across the northeastern
part of the state in the near future, with his third location—also
located in Fredericksburg—set to open in early January 2012.
Besides working diligently to ensure each of his existing restaurants
is as successful and profitable as possible, Walter has set his sights
on adding locations in three counties including Spotsylvania, Stafford
and Prince William Counties in Virginia.
Before the father of four children made a career change and entered
the restaurant industry, Walter was spending more than 100 days out
of the year traveling for his corporate publishing job. After more
than a decade of spending his days on airplanes and in meetings and
his nights in lonely hotel rooms far away from home and the comfort
of his large family, Walter took a big step and left his successful
career to pursue a new endeavor. Looking for an opportunity that would
let him run his own business and allow him the flexibility to make
more time for his wife and growing kids, Walter began researching
franchises.
During his frequent business trips, one of Walter’s favorite
places to eat out was Salsarita’s. Noticing that the restaurant
chain lacked a presence in Virginia, Walter made a trip to the company’s
headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. to meet with the Salsarita’s
corporate team to discuss possible franchise opportunities. Soon after
that meeting, he signed a deal to open the first Salsarita’s
location in Fredericksburg.
“I’ve always dreamed of owning my own business, and I
chose Salsarita’s because it’s a concept I truly believe
in,” Walter said.
Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Cantina features signature wet burritos
as well as other Mexican house specialties. Salsarita’s operates
more than 80 locations in 21 states and Puerto Rico. Five to 10 locations
will be added in 2012, with long-range projections calling for about
400 locations nationwide within five to six years. The company is
actively recruiting military veterans, like Walter, to join the system
as multi-unit franchisees.
Like most veterans, Walter possesses the ideal characteristics of
a successful businessman—he’s dedicated to anything he
puts his heart into, he’s an experienced leader and easily manages
multiple projects at once. Those skills have applied well to running
and managing Salsarita’s restaurants. Despite opening a business
at the beginning of a recession at a time when many restaurants were
going under, Walter’s Fredericksburg location has grown considerably
over the past few years. Sales increased by 12 percent between 2009
and 2010, and by 15 percent from 2010 to 2011.
“I run my businesses with the mind-set that there’s no
job or responsibility that I won’t tackle,” Walter said.
“I’ve instituted a lead-by-example philosophy in all our
locations, and that philosophy starts with me.”
Although he left the Army almost 22 years ago, he continues to apply
the skills he learned as a service member everyday when running his
businesses. He continued, “If you think about it, the way I
run my restaurants is similar to the way the military works. We have
a chain of command, job descriptions and every day duties to follow,
and accountability standards we have to meet to ensure we’re
operating correctly and are maintaining profitability.”
Walter continues to show his support for U.S. service members by holding
fundraisers to support injured veterans and proactively hiring veterans.
Three of his current employees and one manger are veterans.
“We find that vets have all the characteristics that make the
best employees,” he said. “Skills like organization, reliability
and trust are what we look for when hiring staff.”
Walter has made his Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina locations more
than just a place to grab a delicious meal. He regularly holds community-involved
charity events and fundraisers to raise money for local schools and
non-profit programs, including Relay for Life, Girl Scouts and Cub
Scouts.
For Walter, the best part about his decision to leave his publishing
career and become a part of the Salsarita’s franchise is the
flexibility, which allows him to spend more time with his family.
Walter’s wife Laurie plays an active role in the business by
overseeing payroll and accounting matters, and also manages catering
for all three locations. Together they have four children: Joshua,13,
Rachel, 11, Alex, 8, and Jacob, 6.
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