10 Things You Didn't Know about Chris Comparato

Do you know anything about Chris Comparato, the CEO of Toast? Perhaps you've heard something about his name in the news when the company went public. Maybe you've never heard of him at all. You might actually be more familiar with the company that he works as the CEO for, responsible for creating software designed to help restaurants run their businesses more efficiently. Maybe you've even eaten at a restaurant that uses the software without knowing it. If you're interested, here are 10 things about Chris Comparato that you might find interesting.

1. He honed his experience during his college years

He went to college for mechanical engineering at Union College, but it didn't take him long to decide that a career as a mechanical engineer might not be for him. Nevertheless, he chose to go ahead and complete his bachelor's degree, all while honing his experience for the type of job that he holds today. He was always quite talented at creating new software and computer coding, so he decided to use those things to his advantage during his college years. He says that he's always had something of an entrepreneurial spirit, so those particular skills helped him make a lot of money when he was studying, something that every college student knows is typically in relatively short supply.

2. He says that he’s been preparing for this job his whole life

He says that even though he went to college for something completely different, he feels like he's been preparing for the job he has now throughout his entire life. He recounts his childhood years where family discussions were built around the dinner table. He talks about the various times that he has experienced some monumental milestone in his life, typically while eating one of his favorite foods. He says that as a result, it only stands to reason that he would eventually start doing something that could make him some money that also involved the very thing that has brought him so much comfort throughout his lifetime.

3. He loves good Italian food

There's no question about it, he loves good Italian food. After all, he has an Italian background. He says that it would be completely uncharacteristic of any Italian not to enjoy partaking in the wonderful food that is part of that culture. In doing so, he has also had the opportunity to enjoy his heritage with the people that he loves most. To this day, it's something that he enjoys and it brings back fond memories as well.

4. He hates the idea of wasting food

In all likelihood, this probably comes as a direct result of his love for Italian food and the culture behind it all. He says that he absolutely hates the idea of wasting food, which is part of the reason he came up with the idea for creating Toast in the first place. If he can help restaurants streamline their inventory by integrating everything into digital format, they have less waste. At the same time, it also helps those same restaurants minimize overhead and maximize profits.

5. He says the best ideas usually come to him at three in the morning

Like so many other entrepreneurs, he has a tendency to get his best ideas in the middle of the night. In fact, he says that some of his best ideas have come to him at three in the morning. When most people are sleeping soundly, he is typically pacing the floor or frantically writing down ideas that have seemingly come out of nowhere, often waking him up from a dead sleep. As a result, he has a tendency to employ a rather irregular sleep schedule in order to make up for the fact that he's awake more often than not during the wee hours of the morning.

6. He loves surrounding himself with good people

He is a firm believer that the only way you can truly succeed in business (or anything else) is to surround yourself with good people. He loves to surround himself with people who are both skilled at what they do and extremely passionate, but he also loves being around people that challenge him to do better. When everyone is at the top of their game and they hold each other accountable, there is an opportunity for great things to happen. That fact has never been lost on him.

7. He’s now a billionaire

After his company went public recently, he quickly became a billionaire. He, along with the other two people who helped him found the company, all suddenly found themselves with more money than they knew what to do with. It seems to have set the stage for future successes as they continue to go forward with Toast, especially given the fact that so many restaurants are taking note of its existence and subscribing to the services offered by the company.

8. He doesn’t tend to flaunt his wealth

Despite the fact that he has so much money, he doesn't tend to let other people know that. He's far more concerned with making the company successful and enjoying what he is doing. He says that he truly loves what he's doing and therefore, it doesn't matter how much he works, it doesn't really feel like work. The fact that he's making a great deal of money in the process is just icing on the cake.

9. He’s most dedicated to his family

Despite his dedication to the company and his hard work to make it successful, he has never been more dedicated to anything or anyone than to his family. That is a point that is constantly driven home by the simplest of things, such as the majority of his posts on social media. One only has to take a quick glance in order to see how much his family means to him and that they are the most important individuals in his life.

10. He loves to grow his own vegetables and then cook with them

He thoroughly enjoys cooking, but the thing enjoys most is growing his own vegetables and then cooking with them. He says there is just something special about growing your own food and then using it in a meal. It all goes back to his love of sharing special moments at the dinner table.