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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 •

Alvaro Dominguez

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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

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