Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 3620 Langdale College of Business Then there’s the food. That is what sets the atmosphere of any Barberitos location apart from other restaurants that feature Southwestern cuisine. The Barberitos website claims that the entire menu is “prepared daily with only the freshest of ingredients,” and standing in the line as smiling employees help customers build their meals, the fresh aromas support that claim. Unlike many food chains that run hyper-stylized advertisements that feature food made up to be succulent and appetizing but serve food that looks nothing like those advertisements, Barberitos’ food looks like the food it advertises and vice versa. The marketing gimmick at play is to have no gimmick other than serving the freshest and healthiest food available, usually from local markets. It is a lifetime immersed in the atmosphere of eating delicious food that drove Downing Barber to develop his idea for a restaurant that used the freshest of ingredients, the friendliest of service, and a little something extra that he picked up at several stops along the journey. First, he picked up a love for healthy cooking in the family kitchen back home in Waycross, Georgia. His mother always made a big deal out of preparing fresh and healthy food for her family without sacrificing taste or fun. Unlike many kitchens where the microwave is the most used appliance, her kitchen centered around the stove where she would prepare the meals that helped form the inspiration for Barber’s own food philosophy. It was also a place of storytelling and laughter where the family enjoyed taking time out of their daily routines to sit down and share stories about the day with one another. Though his journey began in that atmosphere, the family kitchen was not the primary driving force to Barber’s success. His dream actually began with a simple childhood ambition, one where he would grow up to do something where he’d be able to meet and interact with people on a daily basis. He wanted to make a difference in people’s lives which is, in and of itself, a noble pursuit but not one typically associated with restaurants or a successful franchising operation. That ambition still drives him today. He acknowledges that “It began out of my love of the restaurant industry and cooking and meeting people,” but he also downplays that success, noting another ambition. “I’m not somebody that looks for 20 Langdale College of Business