The Rags-to-Riches Rise of Soccer Fanatic, Franchisee and Mega-Developer Abe Alizadeh

Imagine yourself at the age of 16 being dropped into the middle of a strange land where you don’t speak the language, have precious little money, no friends or relatives, and only the vaguest of ideas of where to go and what to do with yourself. Given those conditions, most people would not be primed for success. But by that standard, Roseville developer and restaurateur Abe Alizadeh is clearly not most people.

Out of those inauspicious beginnings Alizadeh has methodically built a growing empire of restaurants and real estate holdings from as far south as Fresno and north all the way to Spokane, Washington. The eateries include 55 Jack in the Box stores and three Qdoba Mexican Grille franchises as well as three new higher-end restaurants in and around Roseville he is building with his brother Mike. He and Mike are also partners in the ownership and operation of 11 TGI Friday’s restaurants in California, Oregon and Washington.

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