John Cassimus, owner of Zoës and Marky’s Kitchen in Tuscaloosa, played football at Alabama in the late 1980s before becoming a serial entrepreneur. Cassimus notes that his time at Alabama, along with his parents’ support, played a significant role in his success.
Cassimus played several positions during his time on the team and didn’t make it into the starting lineup until his senior year, when he played as a wide receiver, which he said helped shape his work ethic.
“One of the lessons I learned was that you could do it if you’re smart, and you work hard, and you know how to execute,” Cassimus said. “Football is nothing but preparation and execution, and that’s also what we do as entrepreneurs.”
During Cassimus’ senior year in 1989, Alabama finished out the season 10-2 and won the SEC Championship.
This was the Crimson Tide’s first SEC Championship since 1981 and its best overall season record since 1980.
Alabama’s two losses came against Auburn in the first Iron Bowl played at Jordan-Hare and against Miami, which went on to be the national champion, in the Sugar Bowl.
Cassimus said his senior year taught him he could always “work harder.”
“There was more that everybody on the team could have given,” Cassimus said. “We all worked really hard, and we did extremely well as a team, but I think when you look at it, you can always do more.”
During the summer, Cassimus worked alongside other college athletes across the United States to sell fire extinguishers for a company that allowed them to essentially “run your own business.”
“That was really when I knew I wanted to work for myself,” Cassimus said. “I could go out and work really hard, go sell something, make a bunch of money, and then have the free time that I wanted to have and not have a boss.”
After graduating, Cassimus founded Jrag, a sportswear company, in Birmingham which he later sold in 1996.
He then helped expand his family’s restaurant Zoës Kitchen, which was named for his mom. This helped him break into the restaurant side of business.
In 2018, Zoës Kitchen was sold to Cava in an all-cash deal for what Cava said was approximately $300 million.
By 2023, almost all of the Zoës Kitchens had been shut down or replaced with Cavas, a Mediterranean fast food restaurant. In 2025, the concept of Zoës was revived by Cassimus after he struck a deal with Cava, allowing him to open a new restaurant, Zoës and Marky’s, with a similar concept in Tuscaloosa.
“I ultimately ended up in a role where my skill set was perfectly matched for the career I chose, which was the restaurant space,” Cassimus said. “I think that’s a really important thing that people need to understand: What are you good at and how do you find a way to make it into work?”
Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 28 to correct errors. Cassimus did not personally sell Zoës Kitchen to Cava in 2018, and he did not grow the chain to over 300 stores. He sold Zoës Kitchen to a venture capital group in 2007.
