Craft-Casual Food Maestro: Dog Haus’ Founding Partner André Vener

In this episode we speak with André Vener, founding Partner of Dog Haus, a craft-casual hot dog concept known for its gourmet takes on hot dogs, sausages, and burgers; premium shakes and soft-serve ice cream; and a beer program that spotlights local brews.

Vener, along with co-founders Hagop Giragossian and Quasim Riaz, share a passion for creativity, quality, and commitment to community. They opened the first Dog Haus in Pasadena, California in 2010 and their 50th location in December 2021.

Prior to Dog Haus, Vener served as CEO of the California Philharmonic for 10 years and as Executive Producer for Pasadena Entertainment. He also founded and operated redwhite+bluezz, an award-winning restaurant and jazz club.

Three key takeaways from this episode include:

1. When working with partners, “It’s not majority wins, it’s minority wins.” If one partner is not comfortable with a project, then the rest of the partners listen.

2. Empathy and the ability to easily see how to best lead and motivate a team member can be developed.

3. Find partners who prioritize these three things: Family first; take care of your people and you’ll be taken care of; be entrepreneurs grinding till the end, then take the big pay day.

I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show.