MEET OUR FOUNDER

PEPE GUZMAN

CEO-Founder

Guzman’s earliest childhood memories are focused on family gatherings around the table with meals carefully prepared by his mother, where nothing made her happier than entertaining and cooking for family and friends. Later in life, Guzman had an opportunity to work for his uncle’s business, fully discovering his love for hospitality. Along with his keen business sense, the constant search for a greater challenge brought Guzman to  open Imperial Lamian after serving many roles in the food industry. His most recent role at JNK focused on operations and development of the restaurant group, including opening new concepts, design consultation, construction, culinary trends and menu engineering. Previously, Guzman held roles at The Lucky Monk, American Junkie, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.  In 2013, Guzman founded Hat’s Off Hospitality, a consulting firm that specializes in creating custom action plans for new and existing hospitality concepts such as bars, restaurants and hotels.

Traveling allowed Guzman to learn about different cuisines and trends in food, wine, beer and spirits, making him realize that the hospitality industry was a natural fit. Trying everyday to contribute his experiences and to continue to learn unique ways to share those experiences, Guzman does not limit his views. He believes everyone in his life has an impact on shaping his career and sharpening his work ethics.

Striving to continue to learn, leadership is something Guzman is captivated about. Having the ability to inspire people is a skill Guzman would like to master and help other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. When it comes to his own vision for the restaurant’s success, Guzman hopes to see the team open multiple  restaurants in the United States.

CONTACT HERE: PEPE@HATSOFFHOSPITALITY.COM