“We just jumped in feet first. But all these years later, it’s still workıng.”

—ELLEN CHEN, who, in 2005, co-founded fast-casual restaurant Mendocino Farms with her husband, Mario Del Pero

Despite a disastrous first date, Mario and Ellen founded the fast-casual restaurant Mendocino Farms in 2005. Today, they run 15 locations throughout California, oversee 600 employees, and project 2017 revenue will top $50 million.

MARIO

I had a teriyaki place. One of my general managers was unbelievably handsome. Ellen’s girlfriend fell for my GM and wanted a wing girl on a date. Ellen wanted very little to do with me. I think she felt my personality was a little over the top.

ELLEN

It’s funny how alcohol can have that effect.

MARIO

We have a term in restaurants: overserved. I had overserved myself.

ELLEN

But we started dating, and then became business partners in that restaurant. Perfect timing, because the company I worked for got acquired. Eight months in, he proposed.

MARIO

A whole side of restaurants is managing money and administration, and Ellen was unbelievably skilled at that. I had never had a partner who was a perfect complement. She figured out that we could sell the teriyaki chain for more than we were willing to put back into it, so we could get into fast-casual.

ELLEN

We just jumped in feet first. But all these years later, it’s still working.