The waitress at Bottletree Bakery has no idea that the man to whom she’s serving a bagel and coffee is arguably one of the most successful men in the Southeast.
His demeanor is direct, his speech flows with great diction and purpose, and he is dressed in a casual polo and jeans.
From appearance alone, no one would know that he has built an empire out of a simple restaurant concept.
Meet John Cassimus: former football player for the University of Alabama. Clothing designer. Music producer. Photographer. Hunter. Kite Boarder. Chef. Father. Entrepreneur and Restaurateur. And a good one at that.
In his most recent foray, Cassimus opened Jinsei Sushi, a modern sushi bar and lounge featuring fresh fish flown in daily from all over the world, homemade cocktails and a private garden table available for special events.
Jinsei is located on North Lamar Boulevard near Big Bad Breakfast and Snackbar.
The restaurant has already seen high sales, but Cassimus wants to make sure local residents know it is there.
Cassimus first introduced the brand in Birmingham, and eight more locations are slated to open in the Southeast by 2016.
“All I did was fly around and look at locations,” Cassimus said. “I like food, I like to travel and I like sushi.”
Cassimus said he decided to open in Oxford because of the lack of competition, a built-in audience composed of students with a disposable income and the addition of a local clientele that is very savvy about food, supplemented by the draw of tourists.
“I was really ticked that I couldn’t get great sushi on a Sunday night, so I said screw it. I’m going to open a sushi restaurant,” Cassimus said.
Cassimus got his start in the restaurant business by taking over his mother’s small restaurant, Zoes Kitchen.
Under his care, Zoes grew to include over 95 locations throughout the Southeast.
“It’s so simple looking at me. My skill set includes having endless amounts of energy, attention to detail, multitasking really well, and I am an excellent chef,” Cassimus said. “It’s in my blood. I just do it naturally. I like to please people. I’m super creative. All those things are the top skill sets for any restaurant owner. I ended up in the perfect industry for me.”
Cassimus quit his job as a successful consultant and, after dabbling in the music industry, opened another Zoes Kitchen.
“I’ve just always been somebody that when I wake up and look in the mirror, if I’m not really happy with myself or what’s going on, I make a change and I do it quickly,” Cassimus said. “My mom wanted me to be on Wall Street in $1,500 shoes and a nice suit in New York City. She didn’t think the restaurant business was good enough for me.”
Cassimus sold 90 percent of his ownership in Zoes Kitchen in 2007 to a private equity group. After starting two other restaurants, Maki Fresh and Jinsei, Cassimus bought a plane and learned to fly.
Zoes Kitchen is known for its 98 percent customer satisfaction rate, an ethic Cassimus has worked to instill in each of his employees.
Oxford’s Jinsei is no exception.
“I swear they have 50 people working in there, and they all know what they’re doing and make sure you’re enjoying your meal,” customer Elizabeth Connor said. “The owner (Cassimus) came up to us when we were outside the restaurant, not sure if we should go in, and he offered to buy our meals if we didn’t like it. That wasn’t a problem, though.”
Cassimus believes that commitment makes for success.
“Being an entrepreneur is hard. I haven’t slept the past four nights because I’m worried about this restaurant,” Cassimus said of Jinsei. “I don’t think you can reach your full potential until you are put into a situation where you are pushed further than you ever thought you could go. You can’t have growth as a human, spiritually, mentally, physically, without going through that. I think that’s why I have a competitive advantage over most people I compete with because I’m just willing to do whatever it takes. I’m not going to quit no matter how hard it gets or how tough it gets.”
