Meet Daniel Knight | Founder and Chef Date Knight Dining

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Knight and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting Date Knight Dining was twofold. First, my son shared with me about 6 or 7 years ago he wanted to start his own business one day. I thought about that and was really impressed by the fact he wanted to be an entrepreneur and had not been exposed to it, or at least that’s what I thought. I decided that if my son wants to own a business one day, then I need to own a business so I can teach him the ins and outs of entrepreneurship.

The other side of this process is a little more complicated. Since a young age, I have always really enjoyed food. Not just eating food, but the entire process of creating the meal. My grandmother taught me how to cook, and I use every skill she’s every taught to deliver the dining experiences that I do. Growing up, I never saw black gourmet chefs or black people going to what are considered nice restaurants. As a kid these things were just not affordable. After growing up and moving to Birmingham, AL I was completely blown away by the food and the blackness of Birmingham. My restaurant experiences were not the best. It seemed like I was not really welcomed in the places, or the food quality was way below the price tag for the dinner. Add that in with the lack of really fine dining establishments that cater to the client, the experience of getting dressed, waiting in line, having to wait even with reservations, the cry8ing baby, the yelling Chef, the bad sever, the list goes on. One day, back in 2019 while serving close friends’ dinner, one of my friends said, “This would be an awesome date night!” And from that moment, Date Knight Dining was born.

It is the desire to be an example to my son, with what it takes to own, manage, and grow a successful business. Also, to be an example to my community for anyone who aspires to be a Chef. All it takes is believing in yourself, a good plan, and diligence.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own and operate Date Knight Dining. We are a Premier Personal Chef brand. What sets us apart from others, is very simple. We strive to provide a truly personalized, relaxed, and entertaining nostalgic dining experience, we do this by using the highest quality ingredients and prepare them all with care. The care part is where is gets good. The care includes us curating your entire menu, doing the shopping, and preparing it right in your home. The most important thing to us, is to make sure you, your family and friends have amazing memories that you all can share for a lifetime. That is what sets us apart.

I spent 21 years working for some very cool and amazing Fortune 100 companies. 16 of those years were spent in retail sales. I loved retail it gave me the confidence I needed to talk to people, and the skills to actually sell not only a product but yourself. Was it easy? Absolutely not! I had many hills to climb with respect to facing racism, nepotism, favoritism, and just lack of familiarization with how corporations really work. I found out that no one really cares, until they know YOU! I have always been a nice guy, so I used every bit of my charm to my advantage. I was able to do some really cool things. Like hang out with CEOs, get flown all over the country, ride in limos, go on company trips, and of course earn a ton of money.

Along the way, I learned money was not everything and everyone is not your friend. Outside of that I did learn skills that I use to this day. Like email etiquette, phone etiquette, sales processes, inventory control, sales projections, marketing, and so many other skills. I also was able to complete my BS and MBA.

I want the world to know that Date Knight Dining is just getting started. We love making sure your dining experience is amazing. We are here to serve and serve with the passion that you deserve when considering celebrating special moments, friends, and family. Do not hesitate to contact us with your dining experience needs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Birmingham is full of nature, food, entertainment, and history. We would start by catching a Barons baseball game, and of course we are having hot dogs and beer. It’s baseball! Next day we are going to site seeing downtown Birmingham and visiting some of the historical sites like 16th Street Baptist Church, Vulcan, Vulcan Park, Red Mountain, and Sloss Furnace that night. Last night in town, get ready! It’s an all day brewery and food fest. We will hit at least 3 breweries: Good People Brewing, Avondale Brewery, Ghost Train Brewing, and Cahaba Brewing Company. All of which make great beer, Good People is my fave! Food wise, well being a Chef I have a few gems I like. Eugene’s Hot Chicken, Juniper of Birmingham, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, and El Barrio. It would definitely be an Instagram worthy weekend you would not forget.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are certainly people who have made some amazing contributions to my life to propel to this level. I have to start with my amazing wife Colleen Knight. She is really my biggest and toughest fan. She is simply the BEST! I love you Colleen to the end of time and beyond! Next, I would have to say my entire family. We all have families and things in our families are not always the best. One thing I can say about my family, they have always stood by me and supported me. Every move I have made my late grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and sister have always supported. That is hard to do, especially when you see someone making mistakes. It was only through those mistakes I learned. At this point, I don’t want to start naming people for fear of leaving someone off, so I will say this. You know who you are, because I have told you. I do not believe in giving anyone roses after their dead. I have shared so much of me with so many, you know what impacts you have had on me. I love you all! And to Parker, thanks for making me the best dad and most proud dad in the world. Without you, I may not have ever became the man I am today.

Website: www.dateknightdining.com

Instagram: instagram.com/dateknightdining

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-knight-a699a8141/

Facebook: facebook.com/dateknightdining

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/date-knight-dining-pinson-3