I began working in a restaurant as my first job opportunity. I was hired at McDonalds as a team member, and had a chance to work on voice techniques in the Drive Through as the voice of the evening shift (after school and on weekends). This job provided me with enough money to save up and purchase a car, which I used to transport me to my next opportunity as a Kitchen Crew member at the KFC further down the street. This job provided me with the skills I needed, and confidence in foodservice, to pursue a different challenge in the industry. After a few stopgap jobs outside of the food industry (TELEMARKETING….YIKES!!!), I realized that I was truly happy working in a foodservice environment.
In 1996 I was hired at Chili’s Paradise Valley in Phoenix, AZ. My first job function was Dishwasher. I loved the pace and energy of this job, and the PEOPLE were what made it AWESOME! I developed many new friendships, and in the process met the woman who became my wife and mother of my 5 sons.
Over the years I learned each function in the kitchen at Chili’s, and eventually got the great opportunity to become an On the Road Trainer, teaching new team members how to work in our kitchens and prepare our AWESOME food all over the country! During this time I was also a musician touring with a band, so my time at home was quite limited. Eventually it became clear that I needed to be at home more to support my wife as she was taking care of our first two sons without my help. I gave up the touring lifestyle both with Chili’s and Music and focused on excellence with both on a local level. This focus allowed me the opportunity to partner with great GM’s and managers at Chili’s to develop the skills I needed to become a restaurant manager. I was fortunate to apply for and to be hired for a management position with Chili’s, and started the next chapter in my career.
As a manager I continued to refine and develop the knowledge and skills needed to run a great and balanced business. After about 5 years of assistant managing, I set my sights on the next level, GM! Luckily, again I was partnered with GREAT leaders that continued to teach me all of the skills needed to take on this role. I was promoted to GM three years ago, and achieved Managing Partner status a short while later.
I am currently the General Manager/Managing Partner at Chili’s Happy Valley in Peoria, Arizona. My restaurant leads Culinary Rollouts for our area, and I have the great opportunity to also train and develop new managers in our area. I am truly passionate about my job, and will continue to pursue the next challenge and opportunity for advancement in the future.
