Living the

AMERICAN

DREAM

The day he arrived in the United States in 1984 at age 19, Iranian refugee Atour Eyvazian, MBA ’00, was greeted by Los Angeles’ sprawling freeways and news reports that President Ronald Reagan had been re-elected. It was then that he knew he had arrived in a land of opportunity.

Awed by what typical Americans dismiss as ordinary—transportation infrastructure and peaceful elections—Eyvazian was struck by its stark contrast to his oppressive homeland, and he felt that anything was possible. This sentiment has played out in his life here. Over the past 27 years, hard work and determination have propelled him from janitor to Jack in the Box’s largest franchise operator.

Atour Eyvazian, MBA ’00
Jack in the Box’s largest franchise owner
Houston, Texas

On the rise

Eyvazian knew that learning the language would be key to getting ahead. He began to teach himself English, reading every scrap of paper he could and writing down vocabulary words in a notebook he carried with him. He also dedicated himself to doing his best at his job, something that didn’t escape the notice of his supervisors. “Within a year and a half, I became a manager,” he says. “Working for Jack in the Box was great. They treated me like family and made me feel comfortable.”

He worked in restaurant operations until he accepted a job in the Jack in the Box corporate office in 1989—the same year he became a U.S. citizen. “This was one of the proudest moments of my life—to have a U.S. citizenship [certificate] with my name on it,” he says. “Our constitution gives us equal rights, and to me that is the greatest thing. I felt I would be able to achieve everything and anything.”

He applied this same enthusiasm to his education, which he had pursued in fits and starts until he discovered he could earn his degree at University of Phoenix while working around his full-time work schedule and his growing family. His parents had stressed the importance of education his whole life, and he became the first person in his family to go to college and earn an MBA. “My parents would tell me, ‘If you don’t have education, then you don’t have anything,’” he says. “I really believe that if I didn’t go to University of Phoenix, then I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Atour’s accolades:

2007: First recipient of the National Restaurant
Association Award—Faces of Diversity
2007: Regional Franchisee of the Year
2007: State of California Franchisee of the Year
2008: Jack in the Box Franchisee of the Year
2010: Brand Ambassador for Jack in the Box (bestowed by CEO)
Currently: Largest franchise operator for Jack in the Box

An entrepreneur is born

Eyvazian continued to rise up the ranks at Jack in the Box corporate, eventually saving enough money to purchase investment properties outside of Los Angeles. “From 1998 to 2003, I focused on school, work and real estate,” he says.

Then in 2003, Jack in the Box announced it would begin franchising its restaurants. “I remember a light bulb going off,” he says. “At the time I had several houses, and I could sell them all and buy a restaurant or two.” Over the next two years, Eyvazian sold his houses and found a business partner, and together they bought 10 Jack in the Box restaurants in Sacramento. “We bought them for their potential, and after six months they became very successful,” he says.

After their early success, Eyvazian and his partner approached Jack in the Box about purchasing more restaurants. In 2007, he moved his wife and two children to Houston, Texas, to oversee 14 more restaurants. In the years that followed, they continued to add stores, eventually becoming Jack in the Box’s largest franchise operators. “Between my partner and me, we have close to 250 locations,” Eyvazian notes.

Eyvazian knows that he couldn’t succeed without his employees, so he makes it a priority to take care of them. “When Jack in the Box spent money training me, I felt like I was a valuable part of the company,” Eyvazian says. “Now as a business owner, we invest in our people.”

He’s also willing to do whatever it takes for his customers. Eyvazian is not above wiping down tables or taking orders at the register if he finds a restaurant is particularly busy during one of his regular site visits. “It’s very simple,” he says. “If you take care of [your customers], they will come back and spend their money and support your business.”

Although Eyvazian always knew deep down that he would be able to create a life for himself in the United States, he had no idea how successful he would become. “My goal in life then was to have a house and a car and not worry about where my next meal would come from,” he admits. “This is beyond my wildest dreams.”