Here’s how he did it.
1/ Early days Rewind to 1986. Pat’s working on Wall Street. But he hates his job. And he wants to try something new. His family has owned a little butcher shop for decades. The business is struggling. His dad is about to shut it down. Pat spots an opportunity. He decides to ditch Wall Street and shoot his shot on the butcher block. His dad hands him the keys. Time to make meat.
2/ Big move Pat starts with one big change. He needs to find a better customer. Instead of selling to people off the street, he turns his focus to restaurants. Offering high quality meat at high volume. All wrapped in first class service. He starts pitching chefs around NYC. After a lot of hustle, Mario Batali calls. He needs veal for his new Italian restaurant. Pat delivers. Then the phones start ringing. Soon the hottest restaurants in town are placing orders with Pat LaFrieda. Next Danny Meyer drops by. He needs the perfect patty for his new burger joint, Shake Shack. Pat comes through. By 2010, Lafreida hits $40M in sales. Time to go big.
3/ Scaling fast With the restaurant business running full force, our meat man hits the gas. He starts selling to stadiums and airlines. Hotels and casinos. Offering beef, pork, lamb and more. If customers want it, Pat’s carving it. Today, Lafreida has a massive meatplex in New Jersey. Churning out 4,000 pounds every hour. And not slowing down anytime soon.
4/ My take It sounds like a simple business. But there’s actually a lot going on behind the scenes. Lafreida moves fast. When restaurants need meat, they need it now. That’s why this place runs around the clock. Place an order at 9pm and you’ll have your meat the next morning. And they customize everything. From blend, to cut, to trim level. They’ll even wrap it in branded packaging. Anything to make this the best meat you can buy. It’s all working. Last year sales hit $270M. Not bad for a butcher.
