As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, alongside brother-in-law Christos Gourmos and stepbrother Hugh Mangum, Micha Magid identified an opportunity to fill a void within the fast casual industry. The former Wall Street banker takes a pragmatic approach to evaluating the
profitability and eventual scalability of a potential business venture— “the devil is always in the details,” he says. Culminating an authentic dining experience that emphasizes authentic barbeque fare, friendly service, and a comfortable atmosphere, Mighty Quinn’s grew from a Smorgasburg tent to a flagship restaurant to a brand that now features locations throughout the New York metropolitan area, with additional franchised locations opening down the East Coast. “You need an appreciation for the small
details that are all vital to a restaurant’s success,” Magid explains, “from the lighting to portion sizes, everything matters. I want our guests to have a transcendent experience when they dine with us.”
Tapping into his Wall Street experience, Magid focuses primarily on the finance, marketing and strategic development of Mighty Quinn’s and oversees franchise development, location scouting, and more. This complete dedication to all facets of the company reflects Magid’s enthusiasm for the food and appreciation of its devoted guests. “Shortly after we opened someone posted on social media that ‘Mighty Quinn’s is my spirit animal.’ I want to replicate that feeling with all of our guests,” he says.
Magid started his career within the mergers and acquisitions department of JPMorgan Chase. While there, the NYU Stern School of Business graduate learned a meticulous attention to detail and soon came to value the importance of double, triple, and quadruple checking the numbers. He late made the move into investment management, at several funds focusing on value opportunities as well as special situation investment strategies. Magid’s last position in the hedge fund industry was at SuttonBrook Capital Management.
Magid also took on the roles of anchor investor and board member for the New York City-based Bulldog Gin, which achieved rapid success leading to its acquisition by Campari.
More than a decade spent evaluating the viability, attractiveness, and growth potential of diverse business propositions gave Magid the intuition to recognize something truly special in Mighty Quinn’s as Mangum introduced it to the crowds at Smorgasburg, garnering the longest lines in the whole open-air food market. With the magic successfully replicated at the first brick-and-mortar location in Manhattan’s East Village in 2012, Magid, Magnum, and Gourmos set the company’s sights on franchised expansion, maintaining an authentic service-oriented culture and consistent culinary dedication across fifteen locations and counting.
A resident of Manhattan, Magid spends his downtime with his wife and two children, often escaping the city to reconnect with nature.
