From Busboy to Owner: Buckhead Restaurant Owner Tells Story

About two months ago, Cheeseburger Bobby's opened its Buckhead location at 4365 Roswell Road with hope that the young man who'd been with the company since he was a 16-year-old busboy would bring this restaurant to life.

Business has been booming there at the new Cheeseburger Bobby location, and a good part of that is due to the franchise owner, 28-year-old Ryan Finks.

Bob and Richard Stoll, the brothers who started the Cheeseburger Bobby chain in Kennesaw, knew that Finks had what it took to bring their restaurant into the ITP market and were eager to invest in him. The restaurant is known for its juicy burgers and homemade-style custard shakes.

Finks always believed his hard work would pay off in the end. While in high school, he first worked under Richard Stoll at his Stevie B's franchise, putting in 15 to 20 hours each week as a busboy.

Then, when he went on to college, he'd work 50 to 60 hours at the Stolls' Cheeseburger Bobby's location in Hiram.

"Hard work pays off..As long as you put the work in and don't falter, you'll be successful," Finks told Patch.

Finks said it has been "really busy" at the new location and it's "been great to get to know people, create relationships and get to know the area." 

Right now, Finks is still commuting from Hiram, but plans to move closer to the new restaurant very soon.

Becoming a restaurant franchise owner at 28 wasn't Finks' grand plan all along. He said it wasn't really something he'd thought about until he was in college at West Georgia University, where he majored in education because he knew his restaurant experience was enough to be successful in that arena.

Not many people in their 20s can call themselves business owners, and Finks knows first-hand that a restaurant can be one of the most difficult businesses to operate. However, he has some nuggets of advice for entrepreneurs.

He says to have patience. The wait for some things may have been challenging at times, Finks explained, "but it was worth it."

Be willing to go through hard times. Finks said he was willing to put in the work, go the extra mile and to endure, which is one of the reasons Richard Stoll came to trust him.

While he spends the majority of his time at the new store, Finks still has time to envision the next five years for his business.

"In five years, I'd like to have multiple locations," said Finks, who would be the 33-year-old owner of several successful restaurants then. "I'd like this to be the flagship of whatever I have and of the company. I'd like to be the standard."

Maybe that's the true secret to Finks' success. You must simply be the standard, and that's what he continues to do.

Cheeseburger Bobby's opens its newest location in Sandy Springs this week.