This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

How Tender Greens Turned Its Suppliers Into Investors The growing fast-casual chain Tender Greens used ingenuity, deal-making and vision to build a new kind of supply chain.

By Elizabeth G. Dunn

This story appears in the July 2018 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Alvaro Dominguez

In 2003, before "fast casual" became restaurant industry buzzwords, Erik Oberholtzer, Matt Lyman and David Dressler had an idea: combine high-end ingredients with fast-food efficiency. They bet that this would differentiate their company, Tender Greens, and customers would be willing to pay a little extra for quality food.

Related: Why Quality Over Quantity Matters When You're Scaling a Business

Sourcing those premium ingredients would be complicated, though. Most quick-­service restaurants use large distributors, which source from a network of farms and wholesalers -- a strategy designed to maximize scale efficiency. But those networks generally don't include the chef-to-farmer relationship -- and higher-quality ingredients -- Tender Greens wanted.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Devices

Upgrade Your Tech with $200 Off a MacBook Pro

If you're in the market for a new laptop, then you won't want to miss this deal.

Starting a Business

New Research Reveals 4 Personality Traits That Most Wealthy Entrepreneurs Share

In the book "Rich Habits," author and CPA Tom Corley shares the daily success habits of his most successful clients.

Growing a Business

Serial Entrepreneur Turned VC Reveals 4 Numbers You Need to Know to Scale Your Company

If you're looking to attract investment or simply seeking to scale your business, there are four key numbers you should use as your guiding light.

Business News

McDonald's Is Making a Major Change to Its Burgers in 2024

The beloved Big Mac will also be getting a big makeover.

Thought Leaders

3 New Ways to Develop Laser-Like Focus

To boost focus in the face of distractions, you need a new approach to success.

Business Ideas

This Teacher Sells Digital Downloads for $10. Her Side Hustle Now Makes Six Figures a Month: 'It Seems Too Good to Be True, But It's Not.'

When one middle school teacher needed to make some extra income, she started a remote side hustle with no physical products and incredibly low overhead. Now she brings in six figures each month, and offers courses teaching others how to do the same.