LEADERSHIP
Securing the future for son , Reid Bendix , 32 , who ’ s worked for the company 13 years , and daughter , Amy Bendix , 37 , who ’ s been there for close to a decade , meant obtaining a loan from the U . S . Small Business Administration to purchase a new building . He ’ s also obtained an SBA Paycheck Protection Program loan because of COVID-19 .
“ I ’ m digging out of a hole I got in to move the business and to buy the building ,” Brian says . “ I ’ ve got to stay here to watch the dollar , so to speak .”
‘ A lot of heart and soul ’
Rivinius is optimistic about family businesses being able to stay above water during recessions . “ Family businesses have a lot of heart and soul ,” he says . “ I think that people know that , and I think , all things being equal , people would patronize a family business when they have a chance .” Still , in good times or bad , family members often stay close in one way or another . That ’ s been the order of things in Kevin Fat ’ s family , from the time his grandfather started to step away in the 1960s . “ In family business , you retire , but you don ’ t really retire ,” Kevin says .
First , Frank ’ s eldest son , Wing Kai Fat , took over . Then came Tom Fat , who died in 2007 , which led to Jerry taking over . Other children and in-laws have been involved , with the family pursuing numerous ventures .
“ This thing that I see the most with family-business dynamics is after we get everybody into a room , that it doesn ’ t matter really what industry that they ’ re in , the thing that makes them unique is that it ’ s a family business ,” Premo says . “ So people are engaged in the business , and they also have to have a family relationship with them aside from that .”
The Fat family opened China Camp in 1974 on Front Street in Old Sacramento and Fat City Bar & Cafe two years later when an adjacent building became available through the Sacramento Redevelopment Agency , Jerry says . Eventually , China Camp became California Fat ’ s , operating
“ Family businesses have a lot of heart and soul . I think that people know that , and I think , all things being equal , people would patronize a family business when they have a chance .”
ROBERT RIVINIUS Executive director , Family Business Association of California
until approximately a decade ago . Fat City closed in November 2019 , shortly before longtime executive chef and Kevin ’ s mom , Lina , died .
The family also owns Fat ’ s Asia Bistro locations in Folsom and Roseville , had a Fat City and China Camp in San Diego for roughly 20 years , and had franchise-like arrangements for restaurants in three Native American casinos . The family also has a commercial real estate business — primarily split between two companies , Frank Fat Properties and Frank Fat
Inc . — which traces its origins to Frank being savvy enough to own the land on which his restaurants sat .
Kevin handles day-to-day restaurant operations , consulting frequently with Jerry , who ’ s more involved on the commercial real estate side of the company . As for the next generation , Kevin says he ’ s trying to take a different approach . The Fat family tradition has long been to encourage its progeny to gain education and work experience elsewhere , but Kevin wants to show his relatives that if they ’ re interested , “ There ’ s more to our business than just serving or bussing or bartending .” He says he has his eye on one of his nieces , who is a controller for another company , and a cousin who works in the Bay Area in commercial real estate .
If they or other members of the Fat family come onboard , it won ’ t take long to bring them in . “ We can be a lot more nimble than most corporately owned businesses ,” Kevin says . “ That ’ s the beauty of family business .”
And they might find something that ’ ll be there long after other potential employers . “ To me , ( family business ) is still the bedrock of our economy and kind of the backbone of our economy ,” Rivinius says . “ That part hasn ’ t changed much .”
Graham Womack is a freelance writer based in Sacramento . His work has appeared in a variety of publications , including the San Francisco Chronicle , The Sacramento Bee , and Sacramento News & Review . On Twitter @ grahamdude .
56 comstocksmag . com | October 2020