As the CEO and Proprietor of the Big Table Restaurant Group, Sean Yeremyan said that when you do not have a great team, you have nothing in your business. He came to this realization when he met with a general manager of one of his restaurants. “The restaurant was failing, and I was pretty sure she was going to quit,” said Yeremyan. “I knew she was good for the job and had tremendous potential, so I decided to take the opportunity to open up my heart to her and coach her.”
This conversation was a leadership turning point for Yeremyan. “I realized I was coaching her and truly listened to her problems that prevented her from doing better,” he said. “I had been giving up on people prematurely before that night, and my delivery was not working, which led me to realize that I was losing talent because I was not leading from my heart.”
That general manager is now the director of operations and has been instrumental in opening four new locations in just three years alongside Yeremyan.
“Influencing the industry takes one person at a time,” said Yeremyan. “It starts by building a great culture in the restaurants and this in turn makes a strong company and allows me to continue to build my business and continue to pursue growth.”
Yereman truly wrote his own immigrant success story. In 1999, little did anyone know that a young man from Turkey was going to make his mark in Atlanta. He started from simple beginnings and worked his way up to an Atlanta entrepreneur and restaurateur.
His dreams to open restaurants that reflect both his personality and passions came to fruition in 2000 with Gilbert’s Café and later with HOBNOB locations while creating the Big Table Restaurants company. Big Table owns four HOBNOB Neighborhood Taverns, Cattle Shed Wine & Steak Bar and a catering company.
Yereman said his success has been propelled by his education, his entrepreneurial personality, opportunity and the bonus of Atlanta evolving into what he calls a foodie city. He also credits his commitment to lead from the heart.
“Leading from the heart and providing unconditional hospitality is our way of ensuring quality which helps us to maintain leadership in the industry,” said Yereman. “The restaurant industry is truly a labor of love.”
For his tireless efforts to live out the American Dream and lead from the heart, Yeremyan has been named a Titan.
