Jeremy Sasson, CEO of Heirloom Hospitality, shares his journey from a post-college startup grind to building beloved restaurants in Detroit without external funding. He emphasizes a guest-first approach, explaining how every design element influences guest emotions. Jeremy reveals why he left a family real estate business for hospitality, highlights the importance of strong team dynamics, and discusses how to navigate cultural fit in staffing. His insights on balancing aesthetics with functionality and adapting to market changes provide invaluable lessons for anyone passionate about creating lasting dining experiences.
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insights INSIGHT
Guest Experience is Central
The guest's emotional experience drives every detail of hospitality design and operation.
Multiple small sensory details compound to create the overall guest feeling and brand identity.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Early Green Energy Grind
Jeremy lived in a friend's parents' basement for 18 months while chasing solar tax credits.
The business failed financially but built his grind and entrepreneurial mindset.
insights INSIGHT
Purpose Beyond Profit
Purpose beyond money is essential to sustaining motivation.
Hospitality offers meaningful human interaction that was missing in Jeremy's previous entrepreneurial venture.
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Jeremy Sasson joins Jake Wurzak to unpack his obsessive, guest-first approach to hospitality and share how he’s built a thriving portfolio of restaurants without external investors or debt.
The conversation traces Jeremy’s evolution from a post-college startup grind to crafting some of Detroit’s most beloved dining experiences. He explains how design, service, and team alignment all flow from a single emotional driver: how a guest feels at every touchpoint. Jeremy also reveals how he builds restaurants through the lens of fashion, explains the overlooked costs of doing hospitality well, and offers rare insight into the operational decisions that separate great concepts from lasting brands.
We discuss:
Why every element of a restaurant must begin with how it makes guests feel
The core reasons he turned down the family real estate business to pursue hospitality
What he learned building his first restaurant with no industry experience
Why he avoids celebrity chefs and prioritizes team members who “pick him”
The importance of eliminating weak cultural fits—even when it hurts in the short term
This episode is a masterclass for anyone building hospitality experiences with purpose and longevity in mind.
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:10) - Jeremy's college days and early ventures
(00:03:38) - First steps in hospitality
(00:06:40) - Lessons from family and early career
(00:13:27) - The birth of a restaurant vision
(00:16:26) - Starting the first restaurant: Challenges and triumphs
(00:23:55) - Evolving the restaurant business
(00:28:34) - Vision and execution: Creating unique dining experiences
(00:46:13) - Designing the restaurant experience
(00:48:03) - Service excellence and staff roles
(00:50:09) - Consistency across multiple locations
(00:53:06) - Core values and staff training
(00:55:34) - Challenges and adaptations in the restaurant industry
(00:57:11) - Design insights and restaurant layout
(01:04:18) - Creating the perfect vibe
(01:09:33) - Lessons from restaurant pivots
(01:20:46) - Expansion strategies and new markets
(01:29:51) - Favorite hotels and final thoughts
Masters of Moments