Menus with a Mission

At one of Dave Sloan’s restaurants,
every meal means more

By Anna Hughes

Every morning, Elmhurst native Dave Sloan wakes up with the same goal: to make other people happy.

To him, that’s the essence of the restaurant industry—where he’s spent the past 15 years building a name and a mission.

“I found my passion in food, the creativity around it, serving people, you know, having them really appreciate the effort and the food that you provide them,” Sloan said.

The York High School graduate traded his career in finance for food when he became CEO and Co-Founder of Naf Naf Grill in 2010. At its start, Naf Naf was a small restaurant in Naperville focused on serving authentic Middle Eastern fare. Thanks to Sloan’s business background and entrepreneurial spirit, Naf Naf grew from this singular concept into 38 restaurants nationwide.

“Naf Naf was an MBA in restaurant management,” Sloan said “Of course, I made a ton of mistakes that I learned from. Had a lot of successes as well.”

That experience inspired his next business idea: Alongside partners Franklin Buchanan and Stephanie Simpson, Sloan launched Venture Kitchen, a restaurant group built to develop emerging restaurant brands—building upon the same creativity and innovation that drove Naf Naf.

“It’s a passion of mine creating different brands,” Sloan said. “We’re taking brands that have shown some life or consumers really like, and we help them expand it throughout the Chicagoland area, hopefully soon outside of the Chicagoland area.”

Blackwood BBQ

Today, Venture Kitchen includes four unique brands: Blackwood BBQ, Taqueria Invincto, Naansense, and their most recent addition, Minnie Bird. These restaurants are bringing authentic, high-end cuisine—southern barbecue, Mexican, Indian, and fried chicken, respectively—to several locations across the city and suburbs. Sloan can often be found at one of Venture’s three Oak Brook locations on 22nd Street, ensuring everything is top-notch.

“The bigger goal is to get these brands into other markets and continue to grow them and just have a great restaurant business that can employ a lot of people,” Sloan said.

Sloan’s desire to serve, however, extends beyond delicious food and fantastic customer service. When he and his team started Venture Kitchen, they knew it was the perfect opportunity to incorporate philanthropy. They partnered with One Feeds Two, a charity founded by Sloan’s friend in England, and brought its mission to the United States.

“The premise of One Feeds Two is just, it’s phenomenal,” Sloan said. “It’s simple for the consumer to understand: You come to one of our restaurants, you eat a meal, we’re going to provide a meal to a child living in poverty.”

“We’re just trying to do something good for the world,
and this is our way of incorporating something good
in our business to help people.”
— Dave Sloan, Venture Kitchen

Anytime a meal or product is purchased at a Venture restaurant, they donate a school meal to a child living in poverty. Providing meals at school is key to their mission: they’re motivating kids to go to school and receive their meals—hoping to break the chains of poverty through education.

“We want consumers to understand that when they come to our restaurant, not only are they getting a great meal, but they’re also helping a child in need,” Sloan said. “We’re just trying to do something good for the world, and this is our way of incorporating something good in our business to help people.”

Taqueria Invicto Quesabirria Tacos

One Feeds Two has provided almost 25 million meals to the most impoverished places around the world, specifically in parts of Africa and the Middle East, plagued by severe suffering and starvation.

“We get video of our feeding programs, and we get to see [the difference it makes],” Sloan said. “It’s great to see these kids get their one meal that they may only get a day, and it’s life-changing for them. Hopefully, even if it’s just one kid able to break away from poverty, it was all worth it.”

Although Sloan will never meet all these children, they are his source of motivation every day. Knowing that kids on the other side of the world benefit from his success is more than enough incentive to grow more restaurants.

“It’s always been important to me to show my kids, you know, ‘You’re so lucky to live here in the United States with all these opportunities. Do things for other people that can help them’,” Sloan said. “For me, that’s part of it as well, too, just showing my kids to be a good person and help others.”

Sloan considers the restaurant industry to be one of the most giving fields. He witnesses countless businesses across different brands contribute to their local communities, and he encourages all others to do the same.

“There are 350 million people in the United States. A lot of these people eat out every single day. If we can get to a point where every restaurant is doing this, we can pretty much solve world hunger,” Sloan said. “Of course, it’s a big vision, but you know, you got to start somewhere.”

To learn more about Venture Kitchen and One Feeds Two, visit VentureKitchen.co. By purchasing a meal at one of their restaurants, you are making a difference in a child’s life. Visit The Overlook in Oak Brook for dine-in or carry-out at one of these Venture Kitchen restaurants: Blackwood BBQ, Taqueria Invicto, and Minnie Bird. Other locations are available on their website.