Who is James Windon?
James Windon worked in marketing before he and his wife, Johanna Windon, went into the restaurant business with no industry experience. During the pandemic, a rice shortage kept them from making bandeja paisa, a traditional Colombian dish, so they substituted French fries as the base. That improvisation became Buena Papa Fry Bar, which serves loaded fries inspired by Colombian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Italian and American street food. The couple put their $40,000 in savings into the first location in Raleigh, North Carolina, opening in 2021, and at one point were down to $18 in the bank.
TikTok videos helped the concept take off, and the original 200-square-foot stand brought in more than $1 million in its first year. On Shark Tank Season 15, the Windons asked $400,000 for 7% and accepted Robert Herjavec's $400,000 for 19%. Buena Papa has since expanded across North Carolina and to the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami and is selling franchises, with an initial fee of $29,500, as it pushes into new markets in the Southeast and beyond.
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