LRE& Co was founded by Akki Patel. For the past 20-plus years, Mr. Patel , an investor, entrepreneur, community development advocate, and philanthropist, has built a vast U.S. portfolio of food and beverage businesses, real estate, early-stage technology investments, and hospitality ventures that have provided economic opportunities and made positive impacts in local communities. Born in San Francisco and raised in India, Mr. Patel returned to America at the age of 15, having come from a family with a proud, multi-generational history of business innovation in the real estate and construction sector. Having watched his father build smaller developments for middle-income families and learning about his family’s business through him, Mr. Patel was inspired to launch his own successful career as an entrepreneur at just 20 years old, when he became the owner of his first restaurant and launched LRE & Companies in 1999.
From that single restaurant, Mr. Patel grew the company to what it is today: operating more than 95 restaurants with development rights of more than 850 other restaurants, and expanding to include large, mixed-use real estate and hospitality developments. In the span of over two decades, Mr. Patel’s company was responsible for opening and operating 350-plus restaurants. LRE & Companies employs a diverse and dynamic staff under Mr. Patel’s direction. Driven by a passion to create jobs and opportunities for people in smaller markets across Northern Nevada, Oregon and California, Mr. Patel and the LRE & Companies team of experts continually work to identify new opportunities for expansion and growth in the Western United States.
Central to Mr. Patel’s work in franchising is uplifting the communities in which his businesses operate. Whether it is identifying potential owners from among employees, providing business counseling, financing, training and operational support to new owners, raising funds for local food banks–or even providing free meals to First Responders, and low-cost, wholesale groceries to neighbors in need–Mr. Patel believes that businesses have a responsibility to support their communities. We are constantly trying to find ways to bring communities together in every project we develop.
Mr. Patel holds an accounting degree from University of San Diego, and is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization as well as several other business & nonprofit advisory boards. Mr. Patel writes about business trends and outlooks at AkkiPatel.net