Steve Tsirtsis: A Customer For Life
Steve Tsirtsis knows a thing or three about the restaurant business: he's owned 13 of them during the past 30 years. And contrary to the wisdom that the restaurant trade is fickle and failure-prone, all but one of those restaurants remain in business today. He knows this because he financed the new owners.
Tsirtsis (pron. Churches) currently owns three restaurants in upscale Orange County, California, and is building a fourth in Riverside in the Inland Empire. "There are people who don't reinvest in their business," he notes. "They treat it like a cash cow. Nine out of ten of them will go under. Anyway, cash is gone in our business; ninety percent is now credit cards."
There's now great secret to his 30-year success, he says. "Be consistent in terms of food quality and presentation. Be willing to try new tastes, new foods, new trends." And Tsirtsis sees to it that his restaurants are remodeled every three years. "You need to keep upgrading to make sure the place doesn't date. You want your customers to keep coming back, to become customers for life."
As a young man, Steven Tsirtsis harbored a passion to join in the Greek Air Force only to discover at 19 that poor eyesight would keep him out of the military. He was determined, however, that it would not keep him grounded. "I decided to emigrate to the US, and find another way to realize that ambition to fly."
After completing his schooling, Tsirtsis got involved in the tough, demanding restaurant business. "My plan was to make enough money to buy, and fly, my own airplane," he laughs. And he did: his first was a second hand Grumman Tiger. "I owned it even before I knew how to fly," he recalls. "I had to hire an instructor to teach me how to fly my own airplane!"
Tsirtsis' most recent purchase is another Tiger, the AG-5B, a single prop, 180 hp aircraft that offers the speed and ease of operation Tsirtsis prefers. "It's fast and stable in the air, and not too expensive to operate," he says. "I get to fly it maybe a couple of times a week, usually with my wife, Agatha."
At $235,000, the Tiger's purchase would normally attract sales tax of more than $20,000 from the Board of Equalization, which audits the sale of every aircraft in California. However, guided by Aero & Marine Tax Professionals, Tsirtsis took delivery of the airplane in Eugene, Oregon, and had it stored in Las Vegas before bringing it into California.
"I came to Tom Alston and Aero & Marine Tax Professionals through the airplane dealer," he recalls. "He'd known of Tom?s work on behalf of other clients and recommended him highly. As a restaurant owner, I know all about dealing with mountains of paperwork, so it was a huge relief for Tom and his people to take care of that."
Tsirtsis learned this past October that his new Tiger had been granted an exemption on the basis of its being hangared outside California for more than half of the six month test period. Like the airplane, that tax savings was worth waiting for, he says. "More than that," says Steve Tsirtsis, "the Aero & Marine folks were great to deal with. They took care of all the details; it feels good for somebody else to do that for a change! I'll be calling them before I buy my next airplane. You could say that Tom Alston has got himself a customer for life."
We now have a program in Arizona as well as California!
It's true! We've saved clients literally millions of dollars - I can guarantee you won't find anyone with more knowledge and experience. It pays to plan ahead so future aircraft or vessel acquisitions are properly structured. Plus, if you suspect the status of a purchase made anytime in the past 10 years - I will offer a free analysis of your situation. Go
here and simply fill in the appropriate form. Or call me personally at 916-691-9192. - Tom Alston
