David Kim, head of Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, is not your typical CEO. Five years ago, Kim and a group of investors purchased the struggling Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, a quick-casual restaurant chain of 255 locations. Since then, Kim has turned the company around and it now is starting to grow at what he calls a “very healthy pace.”
He eschews the spotlight, preferring to let others bask in the glory, which makes it all the more surprising that he went incognito on the CBS show “Undercover Boss” to get a firsthand account of how his employees view his company. “We actually turned it down several times earlier,” says Kim.
A conversation with a good friend changed his mind. “He said to me that I could use the appearance to inspire other people who are going through difficulties because of this recession in America,” he says. “I went on the show to inspire people and I was the one who ended up being inspired.”