We had the good fortune of connecting with Shawn Walchef and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shawn, how do you think about risk?
Without risk, there’s no reward. I was fortunate to have my grandfather raise me as a son. He was an immigrant who was born in a village in Bulgaria and was destined to be a farmer. It was only because of his curious mind that drove him to read more, to learn more, to ask more questions. The more information you have, the less scary the risk is. My grandfather ultimately had to ask permission to go to get more books from the other village. He had to ask his family to go and get more education in the neighboring city. He had to ask if it was okay not to work on the farm because he wanted to become a medical doctor. All of those things he wouldn’t have been able to do if he didn’t have a basis of knowledge or curiosity driving that knowledge. There’s always risk in building a business and becoming an entrepreneur. But not taking the risk would essentially be suffocating for somebody that has big dreams.

What should our readers know about your business?
Since opening Cali BBQ in 2008, our Cali BBQ family run restaurant and media business in San Diego has generated more than $25 million in sales from a single location. As a restaurant and sports bar that opened during the Great Recession, Cali BBQ learned to use digital tools and big ideas to stay in business. Now during the 2020 Pandemic, the team has developed a scalable plan that is three times more profitable than the traditional full-service restaurant model. We are planning to repurpose 60 percent of our dining room into a commissary kitchen to service the additional ghost kitchen locations we plan to add over the next three years. Subscribe to Cali BBQ Media Updates and Learn More About Business and Barbecue at https://www.calibbq.media. Email shawn@calibbq.media to get in touch.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A Great Day in San Diego: MORNING – Watch the Sunrise from Mother Mount Miguel in Chula Vista then go to Bonita to enjoy an Acai Bowl from Everbowl. AFTERNOON – Drive from the Silver Strand to Ocean Beach along the 101 Highway. Stop in Pacific Beach to eat comfort Japanese food at Ichiban. EVENING – Carne Asada Burrito at Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town then out for drinks in Little Italy and Gaslamp.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My grandfather, Luben S. Walchef and his book, The Harvest: How a Bulgarian Farm Boy Grew Wealthy in La Jolla, California. https://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Bulgarian-Wealthy-Jolla-California/dp/1593302312

Website: https://calibbq.media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calicomfortbbq/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cali-comfort/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/calicomfort
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calicomfortbbq/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cali-comfort-bbq-spring-valley-4
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CaliComfortBBQ
Other: Digital Hospitality Podcast on Google Podcasts – https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9jYWxpYmJxLm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdC8?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ9sEGahcKEwiQsJaP-ObsAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ Digital Hospitality Podcast on Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-hospitality-a-cali-bbq-media-podcast/id1235316273

Image Credits
www.CaliBBQ.media

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.