Atour Eyvazian
Jack in the Box Franchise Operator
And Recipient of
The National Restaurant Association's American Dream Award

Atour Eyvazian sees the American dream as an opportunity for an ordinary person to become extraordinary – a prospect that wasn’t available in his native Iran. His American dream began in the early ’80s when he arrived in Los Angeles and got a job as a maintenance worker at a Jack in the Box restaurant. Today, he owns 10 Jack in the Box restaurants.

Atour’s incredible story begins in the fall of 1984 when he fled his war-torn country of Iran, traveling on foot through mountains to Turkey, only to be captured at the border and remanded to a Turkish prison. After 40 days in captivity, Atour bought his freedom with money that his mother had sewn into his waistband. He contacted the U.S. embassy in Istanbul, which granted him entry into Los Angeles, where he reunited with his cousin and uncle.

When he arrived in Los Angeles, Atour couldn’t read or speak English. But that didn’t stop him from getting a job just two weeks later as a maintenance worker at a local Jack in the Box restaurant. He learned how to ask “What is this in English?” and then carried around a pocket pad and a golf pencil, writing down the English words for everything he encountered. Always arriving at work early and staying late, he took pride in cleaning the restaurant and seized every opportunity to learn something new. Soon, he was promoted to team leader, then to assistant manager, and within just two years of arriving in the U.S., he became a Jack in the Box restaurant manager. In 1990, after several years as a restaurant manager, Atour continued his career as a specialist in guest service systems, evaluating Jack in the Box restaurants on quality, food safety and cleanliness. Soon, he was promoted to supervisor and in 1994 became a trainer in guest service systems, a position he held for seven years.

Despite a full-time job and a child on the way, Atour used the Jack in the Box tuition-reimbursement program to attend night classes at the University of Phoenix in Palmdale, Calif. In 1998, he became the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree. In 2001, he earned a master’s degree in business administration, also through the company’s tuition-reimbursement program. And that year, he was promoted to manager of guest service systems, overseeing the guest service metrics for 677 Jack in the Box restaurants in several states.

With an eye toward owning and operating his own Jack in the Box restaurants, Atour in 2005 sold the real estate he had accumulated in the past decade and became a franchisee of 10 Jack in the Box restaurants in Sacramento, Calif.

Atour attributes his achievement of the American dream to the opportunity afforded him by the restaurant industry and Jack in the Box in particular. So his goal is to continue the tradition by providing the same opportunity to his employees. He helps his restaurant employees find their strengths and hone them to fulfill their American dreams. He stands by his employees as a mentor and friend as well as an employer.

Beyond his restaurants, Atour helps at-risk students prepare for college and the workforce. He recently received a “School to World Award” from the Sacramento County Office of Education, which partners with area businesses to offer students valuable entry-level work experience. Atour also supports the local Rancho Cordova Neighborhood Center, where he helps single mothers and others find jobs and succeed in the workplace.

Congratulations on the well-deserved honor, Atour!

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