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In 2010, Kaleb Harrell 麻豆精品 S�04 补苍诲听Wayne Yung 麻豆精品 S�06 got a call from聽their friend, Allen Lo, that would聽change their lives. He had found a聽spot on Mills Avenue and wondered聽if they were interested in opening聽a restaurant.

麻豆精品 S淲e said, 麻豆精品 S楬ell no, you 麻豆精品 S檙e crazy, 麻豆精品 S澛爏ays Harrell. Within a couple of weeks,聽Yung told Lo he was in. So did a fourth聽friend, Kin Ho.

麻豆精品 S淎t that point I had a lot of FOMO聽[fear of missing out], and I was like,聽 麻豆精品 S業 guess if Wayne 麻豆精品 S檚 doing it, I 麻豆精品 S檒l jump聽in, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� says Harrell.

The crazy idea paid off. Fast forward聽12 years, and the four friends have聽successfully opened 12 Hawkers Asian聽Street Food locations spanning six聽states in the South, with three more聽under construction. In June, their聽flagship restaurant was recommended in聽the inaugural Florida Michelin Guide 麻豆精品 S斅爏olidifying the success of their venture.

The name is a nod to 麻豆精品 S渉awker 麻豆精品 S� street聽food stalls found in Asia, and the menu聽features authentic, boldly flavored聽foods from Malaysia, China, Thail补苍诲听and Hong Kong.

From Best Friends to Business Partners

Harrell and Yung 麻豆精品 S檚 friendship聽began in the halls of Winter Haven聽High School in Florida, over 25聽years ago. The two met as first-year聽students and quickly bonded over聽an appetite for adventure that later聽evolved into an entrepreneurial聽spirit. They both graduated from聽UCF, where Harrell studied finance聽and Yung studied management with聽an entrepreneurship track.

麻豆精品 S淏eing around a community of聽entrepreneurial minds solidified what聽I wanted to do after school, 麻豆精品 S� says Yung.聽 麻豆精品 S淚t helped me overcome the fear of failure聽and believe it was achievable to start my聽own business. 麻豆精品 S�

After graduation, Harrell and Yung聽worked in real estate until they quit their聽jobs to launch a marketing company,聽landing clients like Disney and UPS.

麻豆精品 S淚t was the best learning experience, 麻豆精品 S澛爏ays Harrell. 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 where we really聽cut our teeth on entrepreneurship. 麻豆精品 S�

Building Hawkers

After agreeing to open the restaurant,聽Harrell and Yung got to work with Lo聽and Ho. Yung has family roots in China聽and Vietnam, Lo was raised in Malaysia,聽and Ho grew up in Hong Kong. The team聽wanted to bring inspiration and flavors聽from across Asia into their restaurant.

麻豆精品 S淭he idea is to transport our guests聽to the streets of Asia, and make them聽feel like they 麻豆精品 S檙e somewhere different for聽about two hours, 麻豆精品 S� says Harrell, who was honored with the UCF College of Business聽Entrepreneurial Alumni award this year. 麻豆精品 S淚t comes聽down to the neon lights in the building,聽the music we play, and obviously the聽biggest part of it is really great, authentic聽street food that 麻豆精品 S檚 served on the streets聽of Asia today. 麻豆精品 S�

Many recipes on the Hawkers menu聽come straight from the families of the聽restaurant 麻豆精品 S檚 co-founders. The dumplings聽served at Hawkers are the same聽dumplings that Yung 麻豆精品 S檚 family shipped by聽the case to the best friends in college.

麻豆精品 S淭hat recipe has been in our family聽for generations, 麻豆精品 S� says Yung. 麻豆精品 S淎nd a lot聽of Allen 麻豆精品 S檚 family members were actual聽street hawkers in Malaysia, serving聽the exact same recipes we serve in our聽restaurants today. 麻豆精品 S�

When the first Hawkers location聽opened, it was with a team of eight:聽the four founders and their four聽girlfriends, now their four wives.聽While their girlfriends served tables,聽the founders ran the kitchen line 补苍诲听built a restaurant company.

麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 the short version, without all聽the blood, sweat and tears, 麻豆精品 S� says Harrell.

Growing Hawkers

Within a year of opening, the four聽founders set their sights on expansion.聽On the day the second Hawkers opened聽in Jacksonville, Florida, it immediately聽beat the original location 麻豆精品 S檚 sales record.

麻豆精品 S淎fter that year, the four of us felt that聽we could overcome anything that got聽thrown at us moving forward, 麻豆精品 S� says Yung.聽 麻豆精品 S淭hat year really grew our confidence聽about being able to scale this concept. 麻豆精品 S�

The team also built a wood shop run by聽Yung and Ho, where they create almost聽every piece of furniture in the Hawkers聽restaurants.

麻豆精品 S淥utside designers and architects聽didn 麻豆精品 S檛 understand our vision and what聽we wanted for our restaurants, 麻豆精品 S� says聽Yung. 麻豆精品 S淏ringing all that in-house just聽made sense. 麻豆精品 S�

What’s Next?

By 2030, Harrell and Yung hope to聽open 100 Hawkers restaurants.

麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e looking to be the household聽name in casual Asian dining nationally, 麻豆精品 S澛爏ays Harrell.

In the meantime, you can often find聽the friends enjoying their favorite聽Hawkers dishes. Yung raves about the聽pan-fried pot stickers and roti canai,聽a Malaysian flatbread.

Harrell likes the Korean fried wings聽and the curry laksa, a ramen soup with聽a Malaysian curry base.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not going to say you can 麻豆精品 S檛 go聽out and find the same dishes anywhere,聽but what you can 麻豆精品 S檛 find is those聽dishes, that menu, in the聽environment that we 麻豆精品 S檝e聽created, 麻豆精品 S� Harrell says. 麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 really think聽there is something that 麻豆精品 S檚聽comparable to us. 麻豆精品 S�