While exploring the world's most remote places, where basics are often sparse, Bryce Rademan noticed something. "There is so much joy, community and happiness not based on materiality," he observes. "I see it everywhere."
The founder and owner of 24 Spitz restaurants, Bryce built his business around the savory Doner kabab he discovered in Spain. "It's between a shawarma and a gyro," he smiles from his newly-opened Kimball Junction location.
Bryce's global-minded upbringing, rooted in a family well-known for Park City community service, has shaped his worldview. "My parents realized a PC childhood can be a bubble, so they sent me to live in a small village in Ecuador when I was still in high school," he recalls. Those values have stayed with him.
For example, his group steered a boat upriver during a recent sojourn through Peru's Amazon Basin, encountering a small community far from the modern world. "We asked what they needed," he says. "We returned with toothpaste, toilet paper, cooking oil, sugar, dried beans and rice."
Honing his business plan as an Occidental senior, Bryce opening his first restaurant with business partner Robert Wicklund in 2006 (they still own the original four LA stores), and he remains committed to local ownership. "If you can't be there in 15 minutes, it won't work," he says. "We hand design each Spitz location and all the art to make it a truly local place."
Coming home to Utah to centralize franchisee training, "I was like, 'Why did I ever leave?'" he laughs. "I realized how special this place is."
Still, Bryce is often on the road visiting his far-flung stores. Always adventurous, he relishes the business travel some might find wearying. "I pack the 4Runner with camping gear and my dirt bike and take my time,” he grins.
"Success is wonderful," he adds. "But creating community, seeing people happy and providing employment? That’s what gets me up in the morning!"