Marvin Smith and his wife, Gloria, have spent most of their professional careers working in finance. The pair are also serial entrepreneurs and often offer financial advice to others.
They are co-authors of the upcoming book, “The Psychology of Credit: Fix Your Credit Score and Be Able to Fund Your Dreams.”
The husband and wife co-founded DKR Group LLC (DKR), through which they have helped thousands of individuals across the globe secure funding for both large and small businesses and set attainable financial goals.
Their latest business venture, Cafe’ Social House, is the third restaurant chain owned by Gloria, following Jr. Crickets and The Social Cafe ATL.
“Gloria has always had a passion for cooking and entrepreneurship. This isn’t her first restaurant, but it is on target to be her most successful one. We worked together to find the best location and timing before opening Cafe Social House. It has an upscale look; a modern feel and our recipes have that urban touch that everyone loves,” says Marvin.
Even though these two are seasoned in the restaurant business, operating a restaurant is not an easy task. “Opening a restaurant is not an easy task. There are a lot of licenses and contractors needed, not to mention that your finances must be ‘on point’ before starting a restaurant. You must be organized and know every aspect of the details. The details are all of the things that must happen before you can open the doors to patrons. We were smart enough to make sure our checklist was in order before moving forward,” Gloria points out.
Marvin agrees and adds: “It is tough. However, we wake up every day giving 110 percent to making every experience a great experience. We live by our slogan: Great Food, Great Service and Great People. That’s what we want you to experience when you come to Café Social House. We opened in October of 2018 and have since built a good relationship with the Mableton community and beyond. People have heard about us, and have come from all over Atlanta to give us a try. Word of mouth has been a big help for our business as well.”
Atlanta is home to countless restaurants, but the pair plans to ensure this one will stand out.
“We take pride in each item that is on the menu and delivered to the table. We teach our chefs and servers to take pride in their jobs. We tell our chefs to make sure each plate represents love, so every bit is memorable. Every receipt has been created by Gloria and she has personally prepared each and every item for each chef, so that they know her expectations. We do this so each customer can feel the love in every plate. We want them to have the same experience each and every time they return. We are big on service too; we want each guest to feel welcome when they enter the doors of the restaurant until they take their last bite and we tell them … ‘See You Next Time,’” says Marvin.
Besides the new restaurant, the couple is also focused on their upcoming book, “The Psychology of Credit.”
“Marvin has been an entrepreneur since he was 18 years old. After losing his first business, he researches to ensure that never happens to him again. When we joined our lives as one, we decided that we would share with others so they could have a second chance, ‘The Psychology of Credit’ offers simple, practical tools that, if applied properly, can change anyone’s bad credit to good credit in a usually a short time,” offered Gloria.
What financial lessons do they want to pass on?
“We want to teach people in need of our services that ‘Life Happens.’ A lot of people have had life happen to them and we want them to know that a fresh start is just over the horizon. As long as you want to do the work, you will find that your status can change in time. It is possible to have everything you may have lost back and more. We coach our clients on how to be responsible this time with the tools we impart,” Marvin says.
It is obvious Marvin and Gloria work well together.
“We are a power couple. When you have two strong individuals, working towards the same goals, you turn those challenges into changes and make it happen. We love each other, and that is the foundation of our existence,” beams Gloria.
