At 18, he bought a restaurant and runs it himself. The impressive story of a Michigan teenager
At just 18 years old, Dylan Larson is doing what many seasoned entrepreneurs consider nearly impossible: running a restaurant by himself. Cook, serve customers, wash dishes, keep accounts and pay taxes, all in a small cafe in the US state of Michigan.
At 18, he bought a restaurant and runs it himself. Facebook photo
But behind his story lie years of hardship, a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome and a life-changing ambition.
Dylan Larson bought Rare Earth Goods Café right after he came of age and remained the only employee of the place, writes Yahoo Finance. Every order goes through his hands: from preparing the food to cleaning and running the business.
A restaurant run by one man
The restaurant industry is one of the most difficult for entrepreneurs. According to a study by the University of California, Berkeley, about 17% of US restaurants close in their first year of operation, and nearly half disappear in less than five years due to high costs and low profit margins.
In Larson's case, the difficulties are magnified by space and equipment limitations. Because of local building codes, expanding the kitchen would be too expensive, so the teenager cooks using a small electric stove, a toaster, and a small convection oven.
On busy days, customers end up waiting 30 to 45 minutes for food.
“It's a lot of work, but I like it,” Larson told the Detroit Free Press.
Diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age eight
Dylan's story is all the more impressive as the teenager suffers from Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition that causes involuntary vocal and motor tics.
Larson grew up in a former mining town in northern Michigan, in a family with financial difficulties and medical problems. His mother, Angela Olin, noticed from childhood that her son was different.
After numerous medical consultations, Dylan was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at the age of eight.
“I was louder than the other kids. I would scream in class and sometimes I would scare people by accident”he tells.
According to the Tourette Association of America, symptoms can be exacerbated in stressful situations or crowded environments, exactly the kind of atmosphere found in a restaurant kitchen.
The life story of a young man with Tourette's. “There came a moment when I said: 'That's it, this is mine'”
However, for Dylan, cooking has become the exact opposite of stress.
The kitchen that changed his life
Larson says he dreamed of owning his own restaurant since he was six years old. Growing up in a family with dietary restrictions – his mother avoiding gluten and his brother being lactose intolerant – he learned to cook and adapt recipes from an early age.
At 17, he got an internship through a local program for youth with special needs. That's how he ended up at Rare Earth Goods Café, where he started by washing dishes.
The owner of the place at the time, Pam Perkins, quickly realized that the teenager had an unusual energy.
“He was constantly asking me: 'What else can I do? What's next?'. It was clear that he had an entrepreneurial spirit”she recalls.
In just a few months, Dylan became head chef.
When Perkins decided to retire, the teenager made him an offer for the cafe, even though he only had a few thousand dollars in savings. The two reached an agreement, and the restaurant where Dylan washed dishes soon became his business.
He also bought a house near the restaurant
Larson's ambition didn't stop at the coffee shop. The teenager also bought the house next to the restaurant, becoming a homeowner before the age of 20.
In parallel, he also started accepting catering orders to grow his business and increase his income.
Customers quickly became loyal to the place and its story.
“We want to see him succeed. He's hard-working, attentive and very involved”, says one of his loyal customers, 73-year-old Sue Johnson.
A business built around community
Larson tries to support the local economy as much as possible. She buys ingredients from local farms and bakeries and regularly participates in community charities.
It has donated money to families affected by the fires, supports local children's programs and offers free coffee in exchange for donations to food banks.
For him, the cafe is more than a business.
“When I'm in the kitchen, I no longer feel like I have Tourette's syndrome. Some people say I'm chaotic, like a headless chicken, but I like the hustle and bustle. I do better when it's crowded. I don't have time to stress”says Dylan Larson.
