Jason Wang is the CEO of Xi’an Famous Foods, leading the company’s operations and strategic development. Jason Wang transitioned to the business from a career path in the corporate and tech sectors and subsequently leveraged that experience to bring structure and foresight to Xi’an Famous Foods, which his family started in 2005. His responsibilities include overseeing daily operations, financial management, and company-wide growth initiatives. At Xi’an Famous Foods, Jason Wang has prioritized scalable systems and a performance-driven culture. He integrates operational best practices with the company’s mission to preserve the traditional flavors of Xi’an. Additionally, he has spearheaded expansion initiatives, both in terms of physical locations and retail product offerings. With over a dozen locations across New York, Xi’an Famous Foods continues to prioritize food quality, innovation, and heritage. In addition to his executive role, Jason Wang has received industry recognitions such as award nominations from the James Beard Foundation and features in major business listings. He actively participates in leadership forums, such as the National Restaurant Association’s conferences.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
While I’m no skydiver, I still find the work that I face every day to be very exciting! Every day passes quickly because there are just so many tasks. Being in the restaurant business to me means you have to wear many hats and juggle many balls at once. As such, I try to keep on top of all of the different tasks by writing things down on my calendar as much as I can, leaving notes for myself later in case I forget. I send myself emails to make sure I remember things or if something comes to me in a moment but I don’t have time to explore that thought. No two days are alike for me.
How do you bring ideas to life?
If I have an idea that I’d like to bring to life, I immediately start to map out what I need to do to make it real. That excitement of a good idea tends to get me going to start the conversations to bring ideas to actual fruition.
What’s one trend that excites you?
AI is a trend that is very exciting, and I think it’s very exciting for a lot of people. I think right now we still don’t fully comprehend all the possibilities that AI bring to the table and how much the world can change with AI. I look forward to the positives that it will bring to our lives.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Utilizing my calendar and notes to keep track of everything I’m working on, things I’m waiting on to take action on, etc. The human mind is finite, we cannot remember everything, but staying organized helps to keep the stress out when there are times when there are many things you have to get done all at once.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would say, try to figure things out on your own and don’t be afraid to do so. There are no rules that say you must be a certain age or complete certain education levels in order to know how to do something.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I believe that the best business opportunities are the ones that seem “too small” for most people to care about. Everyone chases the next big thing—tech startups, AI, billion-dollar industries. But the real money is often in boring, overlooked niches: specialty cleaning products, local service businesses, or highly specific B2B solutions. These “unsexy” businesses have less competition, loyal customers, and steady profits. The people who ignore them are usually chasing hype instead of actual opportunities.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Keep wondering and asking questions until you are confident you know the full picture. This could be tiring at times, as it’s much easier to just get the answer for a question and be done with it, but what I find is a lot of times, getting an answer to one question only opens more questions. I recommend everyone to keep asking those questions, as only then can you understand the whole picture and improve your knowledge.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
A break is important at times. Do something you enjoy and something that will improve your state of mind and health, such as exercise. Even video games are good, because it resets the mind, and for me, I focus better after I’ve had a break. Sleep is also important, because after certain hours of working, your productivity decreases, and it’s better to rest and get back to the grind the next day when you are fresh.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Focus on what you are doing at the moment and do it very well, and not keep thinking about the future or what you are “supposed” to be doing in the future. Every moment in life is valuable, and even if you feel like what you are doing at the moment is not necessarily what you want to do in the future, you should still do your best, not for someone else, but for yourself, so you can look back in the future and say, “I didn’t waste that period of my life.” And you’ll find as you do things with that mindset, you will squeeze more out of every experience whether it is your business or your career, and others will notice.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I’ve not always been successful. I ran a small web development office while working a full-time job right after college, as I had worked solo on web development projects back in college, so I thought I can expand by opening an office. This turned out to be a failure because there was just not enough business to justify an office. My takeaway from this is to not overextend one’s resources unnecessarily or overestimate your market size.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
It’s not necessarily a new idea, but make a sustainable way to recycle plates/bowls in the US so fast food/quick serve restaurants are able to subscribe and save on costs, as well as help reduce single-use waste. This model works in other countries such as China, but I haven’t seen it done with wide adoption and success in New York City or the US.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Google Suite. It’s very basic, but I utilize calendar and Gmail in order to keep my tasks organized and to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I am a Star Wars fan. I just enjoy the stories of that galaxy far, far away, and it was a big part of my childhood.
Key learnings
- Don’t be afraid to try new things and keep asking questions.
- Don’t worry too much about the future or what you’re “supposed” to do; instead, focus on the present and doing your best.
- Take breaks, get good rest, and don’t try to do everything all at once.