Kennesaw, Ga.

– A Kennesaw State University student would make Guy Fieri proud with his

highly successful and growing business, Late Night Smash.

Matt Margow has expressed his passion and love for cooking during his years as a

college student. From beginning with cooking burgers for a group of friends to working events

around Atlanta, Margow’s business has not only impacted himself, but has been an inspiration

for other students wanting to tackle their own dream.

“Before college, I always watched my dad cook on the grill because he is in fact a grill

master,” Margow said. “I learned pretty much everything from him.”

During his first two years at Kennesaw State University, Margow was originally a

finance major, but he later switched to business management after figuring out that he wanted to

own his own restaurant after graduation. He wanted to get a head start on his dream by starting a

small business that he could balance with school.

“To have a successful business, there must be a catchy name that will attract buyers,”

Aidan Margow, brother of Matt Margow, said. “I knew that college students love to eat and stay

up late, so I came up with the name Late Night Smash.”

Margow first began promoting Late Night Smash at The Haven in Kennesaw, an off-

campus apartment complex for students. At first, it was just him, a tent, a griddle, and some

burgers. However, after a couple weeks of selling out at The Haven, other students around

Kennesaw soon came across Late Night Smash and wanted Margow to travel to other apartment

complexes off campus.

Late Night Smash is usually set up around 10 or 11 p.m. and is outside ready to serve

until around 2 a.m., depending on the night. At first, Margow just set up during weekends, but as

the business continued to grow and there was more demand, he began selling on weeknights.
 “Late Night Smash truly makes my night when I’m up late studying and in need of

something to eat,” Caroline Fiquette, a Kennesaw State University student said. “One time, I was

coming up on a homework deadline so one of the workers with Late Night Smash delivered my

order to my apartment.”

As the demand for Late Night Smash increased, so did the workers. Margow now has

eight workers who rotate throughout the week. Late Night Smash is now usually set up at two

different apartment complexes a couple days out of the week and has a delivery option.

After setting up Late Night Smash at various apartment complexes including The Haven,

The Retreat and West 22, Margow was worried that people would soon get tired of burgers. He

wanted the menu to reflect the name, but he also wanted to add a few more items so there would

be more of a variety.

“As a worker for Late Night Smash, I also wanted a menu with more variety, so I didn't

have to cook only burgers,” Gavin Greer, a student at Kennesaw State University, said. “I had

the idea to add patty melts and chicken quesadillas to the menu and it has been the best decision

the business could have made.”

Late Night Smash has had the opportunity to travel to Georgia Tech, setting up at

fraternity houses, along with setting up outside bars in Buckhead and Midtown Atlanta.

“Students aren’t joking around when they say they will travel to have Late Night Smash,”

Sam Bizot, a bartender at Dive Bar in Buckhead said. “I had multiple people tell me that their

deciding factor for coming out to Dive Bar was only because Late Night Smash would be here. I

can’t blame them because these guys cook fantastic patty melts.”
 Matt Margow has made his mark on the KSU community by showing other students what

small businesses can lead to. By following his passion, Margow has made a significant profit off

his business while having fun selling his well-known patty melts, burgers, and quesadillas.

“Whoever gets the chance to try Late Night Smash in the future, their life will be

changed,” Fiquette said.