Name: Jaime Rodriguez
Hometown: Carpentersville, Illinois
Job: Owner, Rosati's Pizza Sports Pub
Fun Fact: Jaime met his future wife, Sharon, while working at his first Rosati’s Pizza location as a teenager.
Born in Celaya, Mexico, Jaime Rodriguez came to the United States at 14 with dreams of owning his own restaurant. Jaime got his first job at Rosati's Pizza as a dishwasher and bus boy. Jaime worked his way up to store manager, going on to manage 14 Rosati's food stands at a local amusement park and next, to manage two Rosati's sister locations.
Jaime and his wife, Sharon, decided to take the next step and pursue their dream of ownership, purchasing a Rosati’s full service Pizza Sports Pub in 2011. Jaime and Sharon have been so successful that Rosati’s made them corporate advisors, sending them out to help open new stores and train new owners and workers.
“To me, the American Dream means being able to provide my family with all the basic necessities needed to sustain a healthy and happy life, which I am proud that I”ve been able to accomplish by fulfilling another lifelong dream: becoming a restaurant owner,” said Jaime.
Jaime teaches his employees that the American Dream is obtainable through hard work and dedication, and takes steps to help workers achieve their goals, just as his restaurant managers helped him achieve his goals.
Jaime likes to give back beyond his restaurant, too. Together with Sharon, Jaime is involved with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign and sponsors local children sports teams, area churches, and causes like the Central De Informacion, which offers programs for minorities in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.
As of May 2015, Jaime and Sharon have returned to the local child’s theme park they once worked at as managers and have resumed the responsinilites of the foods department. This has also given them the chance to hire more young adults insterested in the food industry.
Recently, at the 2015 Rosati’s Franchise Summit Jaime and Sharon’s Carpentersville Pizza Pub was awarded by the Franchise “The Most Improved Pizza Pub”. They take great pride in making their location as successful as possible.
Jaime’s American Dream isn’t over yet; the restaurateur looks forward to one day becoming a Rosati's Pizza multi-unit franchise owner.
