Entrepreneur
Key Takeaways
- Suh believes restaurants create real pathways for growth, and his investments reflect that purpose.
- Suh and Majewski share a commitment to mentorship, accountability and giving people a chance to rise.
- Brands may struggle, but the focus stays on supporting the people inside them.
On paper, Gregg Majewski and Ndamukong Suh don’t look like an obvious pair.
Majewski is the founder and CEO of Craveworthy Brands and a Chicago Bears fan. Suh is a Detroit Lions legend and Super Bowl Champion with Tampa Bay, someone who spent years lining up on the other side of that rivalry. One built his reputation in restaurants. The other built his on the football field.
Related: This Is the ‘Worst Thing’ CEOs Can Do, According to the Head of OpenTable
Their partnership started with a meeting that Majewski did not even want to take.
“Somebody begged me to go up and meet with him,” Majewski said at CraveCon in Chicago. “I had no desire. I was busy. We had enough on our plate.”
Suh had a couple of restaurants and wanted someone to look at them. A mutual friend, who was also an investor in Craveworthy, kept pushing. Majewski finally said yes, even though he was reluctant.
Suh picked him up, and they spent the day together. Very quickly, Majewski’s perception shifted. The version of Suh he knew from television did not match the person he met in real life.
“I realized he was brilliant,” Majewski said. “But not what I saw on TV and not the player.” What stood out instead was Suh’s heart for people.
“He really, really has this heart where he wants to give back, and he wants to reward people, and he wants to see people be successful,” Majewski said. “Those are all the same talking points and feelings and values that I have at Craveworthy.”
That alignment turned a reluctant visit into something more. The conversations moved from a couple of restaurants to shared values and a shared vision. Craveworthy was focused on creating opportunities for operators and team members. Suh wanted to invest his money, time and energy in exactly that kind of work.
“We hit it off,” Majewski said. “That has now gone to being partners and him being an investor in Craveworthy. His brands are now part of our family.”
What began with hesitation became the foundation of a partnership built on belief in the same things: people, opportunity and the idea that restaurants can change lives.
Related: This Michelin-Trained Chef Now Cooks for One of California’s Fastest-Growing Brands
Heart behind hospitality
Suh believes restaurants are one of the most powerful engines for opportunity. He talks about restaurants the same way he talks about football. Discipline matters. Teams matter. People rise when they are supported. That belief is at the center of why he invests in hospitality and why he aligned himself with Craveworthy.
“I did not get this big without eating,” Suh joked. Then he pointed to what keeps him in the industry. “Food is key to everything in life,” he said. “It is health. It is wealth. And there is an opportunity to change people’s lives.”
Suh has seen that impact up close. One operator he met years ago, now part of the Craveworthy family, came to him with tears in her eyes. She was not emotional because of a financial deal. She was emotional because someone finally gave her a real path to run her own restaurant. “She was crying, but she was happy with tears,” Suh said. “She got an opportunity to reach her passion.”
Related: He Turned a 900-Square-Foot Store Into a National Chain Valued at $1 Billion
It is the kind of moment Suh values, and it aligns directly with how Majewski built Craveworthy. Suh believes in opportunity. Majewski builds the systems that enable it. Together, they aim to raise the ceiling for the people inside their brands.
CraveCon showed that mission in action. Hundreds of team members filled the ballroom, including employees from brands that might not have survived without Craveworthy stepping in. For many, the event was proof that someone cared enough to keep them employed and help them rebuild.
Majewski shared one story that stood out. A manager from a recently closed location approached him in tears because she had been moved to another Craveworthy restaurant and still had a job. “You took care of us,” she told him. “You did what you promised.”
Suh gave the moment context. “If you take 10 investments, you are lucky if three of them succeed,” he said. “But the three outweigh the seven.” The message was simple. Restaurants have wins and losses, but you stay committed to the people either way.
Related: This AI Tool for Restaurant Owners Is Giving ‘Hours’ of Time Back
About Restaurant Influencers
Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.
Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about Toast.
Key Takeaways
- Suh believes restaurants create real pathways for growth, and his investments reflect that purpose.
- Suh and Majewski share a commitment to mentorship, accountability and giving people a chance to rise.
- Brands may struggle, but the focus stays on supporting the people inside them.
On paper, Gregg Majewski and Ndamukong Suh don’t look like an obvious pair.
Majewski is the founder and CEO of Craveworthy Brands and a Chicago Bears fan. Suh is a Detroit Lions legend and Super Bowl Champion with Tampa Bay, someone who spent years lining up on the other side of that rivalry. One built his reputation in restaurants. The other built his on the football field.
The rest of this article is locked.
Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.
Read the full article here
