Scaling a Family-Owned Restaurant Brand with Arita Matini

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In this episode of The Bottom Line Podcast, host Naki Soyturk sits down with Arita Matini, co-founder of Sweet Leaf Café — a family-owned fast-casual brand with six thriving locations in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Arita shares her entrepreneurial journey from studying interior design to opening her first restaurant in McLean, Virginia during the 2009 recession. She reveals how her vision for affordable, healthy, everyday food resonated with her community and how Sweet Leaf has grown to offer breakfast all day, signature sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, and fresh soups.

The conversation covers strategies for growth without heavy marketing, including leveraging catering as a major revenue driver, the importance of relationship-building in B2B sales, adapting location strategy between suburban and office districts, and thriving amid competition from national chains. Arita also reflects on the role of culture, employee retention, and consistent customer experience in Sweet Leaf’s success.

Guest Links
Website: sweetleafcafe.com
Instagram: @sweet_leaf_cafe
Locations: Find a Sweet Leaf Café

Takeaways:

• Starting small and local can lead to strong community loyalty.
• Catering offers high-margin growth potential when paired with personal outreach.
• Consistency in quality, service, and culture is key to competing in a crowded market.
• Adapting location strategy to customer behavior ensures long-term sustainability.
• Strong employee relationships drive customer experience and retention.

Quotes

1. “If you feel like you belong, they don’t ask questions — you just have to fake it till you make it.”
   
   
2. “People don’t want to think; they just want the item to be ready and good at the end.”
   
   
3. “The success of our business is only thanks to … our employees.”
   
   
4. “Catering takes a lot of relationship building — it’s all about trust.”

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Arita Matini and Sweet Leaf Café
01:16 – From interior design to launching a restaurant
04:16 – The Menu and Locations
06:48 – Menu evolution and creating signature items
10:42 – Building catering as a revenue driver
15:38 – Location strategy: suburban vs. office areas
18:27 – Competing in D.C.’s crowded fast-casual market
22:13 – The role of culture and employees in success
26:08 – What’s next for Sweet Leaf Café
31:43 – Get ahold of Arita Matini

Welcome to The Bottom Line – the real talk podcast about restaurant profit and growth. Each episode, we explore the decisions, systems, and stories behind the most successful food businesses out there in the market. No fluff. No hype. Just real operators, real challenges, and real advice from people who know how to get results. Let's get to The Bottom Line.

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