Sep 28, 2022
Austin Samuelson is the Co-Founder at Tacos 4 Life Grill, and while their food is something everyone talks about, it’s their commitment to the Meal 4 Meal program that is the true difference-maker at Tacos 4 Life. They care about providing the best food and service to provide the most meals for starving children so for every taco, quesadilla, salad, or rice bowl purchased, the restaurant donates 24 cents to Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization committed to ending childhood starvation. Since opening the first Tacos 4 Life location in June 2014, the restaurants have raised 25,900,000 meals as a brand.
On The Wow Factor this week, Austin talks about why he and his wife felt called by God to become entrepreneurs and donate to Feed My Starving Children and why they chose restaurants despite knowing nothing about the hospitality business. He shares some of the challenges his team has ridden out to first get off the ground with their restaurant, become profitable, then expand, and how he has listened for God’s guidance at every turn. We also discuss how a company’s mission and vision shapes who they bring into their team.
“God always shows up just in time.” - Austin Samuelson
“God gives you gifts and strengths that you didn't know that you had.” - Austin Samuelson
“We believe we can help in starvation, and we're doing that by selling one taco at a time.” - Austin Samuelson
This Week on The Wow Factor:
- The horrifying statistic about child starvation that made Austin and his wife decide to do something to make a difference
- How their initial business, Pitza 42, morphed into Tacos 4 Life
- How Austin and his wife found a way to communicate despite the challenges in their life
- Why they chose tacos
- How Austin has scaled the business since 2014
- How they find good people to buy into their purpose and add to their team
- The importance of being clear on your company's values
- What’s next for Tacos 4 Life and some of the states they’re expanding into
- How Tacos 4 Life weathered the pandemic financially and practically
- How they manage to donate 24 cents per taco purchased to Feed My Starving Children to ensure that needy children have at least one meal a day
- How to learn more about becoming a Tacos 4 Life franchisee
Austin Samuelson’s Word of Wisdom:
My WOW comes from Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, Trust God from the bottom of your heart, stop trying to figure everything out on your own.” You don’t need to solve all the problems on your own, listen to Him, trust in Him, and you won’t go wrong.
Connect with Austin Samuelson:
- Tacos 4 Life Website
- Tacos 4 Life on Instagram
- Tacos 4 Life on Facebook
- Tacos 4 Life on Twitter
- Feed My Starving Children Website
Connect with The WOW Factor: