It definitely takes courage to leave that cushy and highly paid finance job[1] to join the assembly line at Chipotle. Hasnain Zaidi joined HuffPost Live's Dena Takruri[2] to talk about his journey from Wall Street to chopping chicken.


Though making a hefty salary can be rewarding for some, Zaidi yearned for something more. Rather than crunching numbers for years on end, he wanted to create his own path and find that ownership over his career and his life. So, much to his parents' initial dismay, he set out to "blaze his own path."


"Here I was walking away from a really good job and saying, 'Hey you know what guys I'm actually going to start my own restaurant.' I think initially [my parents] were very lukewarm about the idea to put it mildly. But they've been great, they've warmed up to it," Zaidi said.


"I think they've sort of realized that our generation is just a different beast. We're not going to be doing what they did. It's not get in at the entry level and work 20 years to make your way to the top," he continued. "It's much more about blazing your own path and finding what's going to be fulfilling for you."


Using Chipotle as a "stepping stone" to learn the trade, Zaidi worked there for two months before starting his own restaurant chain, Tava Indian Kitchen. Though not raking in that much sought after salary (at least not yet), he now effuses about finding that happiness by "creating something very real."


For more on the discussion, watch the full segment below:



Also on HuffPost:




Loading Slideshow...



  • A mockup of the exterior of a new Chipotle




  • The exterior of a new Taco Bell in Sanger, Tex.




  • Another view of that same Chipotle




  • Another view of the Sanger Taco Bell




  • The interior of a new Chipotles




  • The interior of the Sanger, Tex. Taco Bell features high bars with stools just like Chipotle




  • A new Chipotle look at night




  • A redesigned Wendy's at night




  • Inside a new Chipotle




  • The interior of a new Wendy's in Bethel, Ohio




  • Inside a new Chipotle, the only non-natural color is red




  • An interior shot of the new Wendy's look reveals much the same color scheme