Daily Inspiration: Meet Dallas Shaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dallas Shaw.

Hi Dallas, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up cooking in the kitchen with my mom. I almost didn’t go to college and went straight to culinary school, but my parents wanted me to get a degree. So I got my business degree in May 2005. I decided to go straight in and do a master’s degree in two years. Then by that point, I was out of the cooking mindset and worked with a couple of large corporate companies. I finally got the cooking bug again in late 2010. Back then there really weren’t that many burger places in Nashville yet and none of them were doing stuffed burgers, so I knew I had a niche.

In April 2011, I had the initial idea to start a food truck, so I wrote a business plan, secured a loan, and had my food truck open for business by August 12th. Four months from concept to execution is a really quick timeline, but I was ready for a change and eager to put in the hard work to make my dream a reality. Business was so good, that I had a second food truck built-in 2014 to keep up with demand.

By 2017, running the two trucks had become pretty streamlined and easy. I was looking for something new to challenge me, so I began looking for a location to open a brick-and-mortar space. I finally found one in October 2017 and then had to wait for the land and building to be completed since it was a new build. We finally opened our doors on February 4th, 2019.

The past year has been difficult for us, as it has been for pretty much every foodservice business, but we weathered the storm and we’re remaining positive as sale numbers continue to trend up.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This past year aside (since COVID was such an obvious and ubiquitous struggle for the whole service industry), the one struggle had to be with getting customers to know our space existed when we opened the burger shop.

We were the first business to open in Burkitt Commons in February 2019, and at the time we opened, the roads hadn’t been paved on the property, the turn lane along Nolensville Road was coned off so it looked like you weren’t supposed to turn into the parking lot, two of the buildings hadn’t been built yet or were in the middle of being built (so it looked like it was still a construction zone), the marquee at the side of the road hadn’t been built to let drive-by traffic know there any businesses open in the development, and we chose a space that didn’t face Nolensville Rd, so we weren’t visible to drive-by traffic.

We were alone in the development until May when Barrels and Brews opened in a space that faced Nolensville Road. That got people to turn in from the road, which meant more people would see us as a result. I spent a lot on marketing that first year simply to educate everyone that we existed. I’m glad I chose the space and location I did, but it definitely came with some struggles.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Hoss’ Loaded Burgers is a gourmet “Juicy Lucy” food truck and burger shop. A Juicy Lucy burger is stuffed with cheese, rather than having it on top of the burger. When I opened the burger shop, I wanted to offer a dessert option, so I chose frozen custard. I grew up eating frozen custard in St. Louis, and it’s not easy to find in Nashville. There are only a few places in the surrounding area that offer it (made with an actual frozen custard machine instead of an ice cream machine) and we are the only non-chain restaurant. Our crispy fries are also a favorite of many. We off them with Parmesan, Cajun, or classic salted.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
In regards to my business, seeing happy (and repeat) customers enjoying our food is what makes me happiest. Owning a restaurant means long hours and a lot of hard work, but knowing that we’re providing a delicious and friendly experience to our guests is what makes it worth it.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: hossburgers.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/hossburgers
• Facebook: Facebook.com/hossburgers
• Twitter: twitter.com/hossburgers
• Other: linktr.ee/hossburgers

Image Credits
Kyle Dreier Photography & Drew Maynard.