Ron Lou is a former NFL center and founder of Angry Crab Shack, a family-friendly full-service restaurant specializing in seafood boils with bold Asian-Cajun flavors. “A family-friendly neighborhood restaurant, Angry Crab Shack offers a vibrant, memorable dining environment and high-quality seafood at a more affordable price.” Learn about Ron Lou…
Follow at: @angrycrabshack
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
First job: Delivery boy for Variety Fruit Produce in California.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in AZ: Designing and building restaurants. I also enjoy collecting and restoring classic cars and spending time with my wife and two French bulldogs.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Being a charitable restaurant entrepreneur. Creating and opening Angry Crab Shack and growing the company throughout the USA and internationally while giving back to the community. Angry Crab Shack has donated over a million dollars to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and continues to donate to and partner with local charities, including the Arizona Housing Coalition, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Mesa Food Bank, American Diabetes Association, and more.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: Being a first-generation Chinese-American. I had to acclimate to the cultural and societal differences from my parent’s Chinese culture to American culture.
Someone who inspires you and why: My mom because she was a hard worker and always adapted to her situation.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Be an opportunist. Seeing a need and creating a solution to people’s needs and problems. You may fail. My life has had a lot of failures, but you learn from those failures.
Favorite quote: “Stay humble, stay grounded, remember what got you to that level–and that’s hard work.” —Tim Howard
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: Being the first Chinese-American to play in the NFL.
What makes someone fabulous: Someone who is honest and can be themselves.