Industry Profiles

Find inspiration from hard-working, successful restaurant professionals, including:

• Leah Chase, chef-owner, Dooky Chase
• Jessica Doerffel, Assistant Food & Beverage Director Elways at The Ritz-Carlton in Denver
• Taki Sawi, chef-owner, Santorini Greek Kitchen, Indianapolis

Jobs Outlook

If you're looking for a job in the restaurant industry, you've made a smart choice. The restaurant industry is the second largest private-sector employer in the United States, and it adds jobs at a stronger rate than all other industries combined. By 2023, the restaurant industry is projected to add 1.3 million jobs.

Where the jobs are

Job opportunities can be found in every segment of the industry, in every state. Much of the restaurant-industry job growth will be in the South and West, especially in Texas and Arizona. Positions that combine food preparation and service, such as foodservice managers, servers, chefs and head cooks, will be most common. Learn more about NRA Research

"After 66 years, I’m still in the kitchen and I am still happy."

“I want young people to know how important this industry is,” she says. “When young people complain to me about a customer I tell them, ‘It’s your job to make them happy. Maybe they are tired, but it is your job to change that.’ ”

Chase knows the Crescent City is all about food. “To really know about the restaurant industry, you have to live in New Orleans,” she said. “The hospitality industry is our business. That is all we have.”

“After 66 years, I’m still in the kitchen and I am still happy.”

Serious business: Women take charge

January 13, 2015

Melissa Strait, Arby’s new chief people officer, discusses her experience, advancement opportunities for women, and the characteristics of a successful career. Today she is responsible for leading the strategy, development and execution of key organizational effectiveness and talent management programs for the company’s 71,000 employees at nearly 3,400 stores worldwide.

How did you get involved in the restaurant business?
I started when I was 20 years old, back in 1984, so I’ve spent 30 years in the industry. I started as an hourly employee on the front line when I was in college. I was going to school to be a psychologist and was attending graduate school, but decided I didn’t want to do that. So I ended up back at the restaurant I worked at during the summer. Working the day shift helped teach me this was more of a business than I’d understood previously. I was intrigued. I became a manager and not long after that, part-owner of our small franchise.

What are the lessons you’ve learned being a part of this industry?
I learned how to please the guest and make people happy. It’s about getting things done quickly. No matter what job you do, it’s about making a difference for people and responding quickly to their needs. It’s also about having a team environment. You can’t achieve anything unless you work well with everybody around you.

Have you had many mentors?
A lot of people believed in me and gave me opportunities. Steve Tripp, the owner of the first Arby’s I worked in, in Muskegon, Mich., saw something in me. He let me try out ways I thought could improve the restaurant. He had faith in me, inviting me to partner with him as we opened more Arby’s restaurants. He sold me on why I should have a career in this industry, and he has played a huge role in everything I’ve done. Russ Umphenour, the owner of RTM Restaurant Group, an Arby’s franchisee, is another. He convinced me to move into training and move to Atlanta. Every time I thought there was something more I could do, he let me do it and encouraged me all the way through. Last, I’d say Arby’s CEO Paul Brown. We’ve had our ups and downs at Arby’s, but when Paul came in, he put an incredible emphasis on people and culture and was willing to listen to what I thought we needed to do. He encouraged me and allowed me to succeed.

What have you learned as a woman in this industry?
One of the great things about the restaurant industry is that anyone can be successful if he or she is willing to work hard. If you want to succeed, you have to find great people, encourage them, engage them and empower them to do their jobs well. That’s the piece that will get you to rise.

What advice would you give to other women in this industry?
Being able to have a work/life balance is one of the things that concerns women the most. Our business can require long hours, but there’s an ability to raise a family and have a great career if you set your priorities and do your work smartly.
I think back to my earliest days when I started coming up through the ranks. At the time, it was a very male-dominated business, and I often was the only woman. I felt intimidated and wondered whether I should be in the room. But as time passed, I learned that none of these executives were holding me back. What can hold you back is your doubts or concerns. Having confidence in yourself and knowing you have something to offer allows you to contribute. Don’t feel intimidated. And if you are intimidated, pretend you’re not.

aki Sawi: Indianapolis operator finds American dream

From the time Taki Sawi was 14, he knew he wanted to be a restaurateur.

His career journey took him from Egypt to Jordan to Cyprus to Greece to Indianapolis, where he owns Santorini Greek Kitchen with his wife, Jeanette. In 2010, he won a National Restaurant Association Faces of Diversity Award. Here's his story, in his own words:

"I left Egypt when I was 14. My mom and dad died, and I had to help my sister support my nieces and nephews. I was looking for an opportunity, and Egypt didn’t have many jobs. When I left, I had a plastic bag filled with clothes and no money. I had no idea where life would take me. I was open to wherever God took me.

My first job was at a small restaurant in Amman, Jordan. I washed dishes, did prep and made salads. I saw how much the chef loved what he did, and I wanted to be like him. I wanted to have that same passion in my heart. After 35 years, this man, Hassan, is still in my mind every day.

After that, I moved from place to place, working seasonal restaurant jobs. I got more cooking experience and learned to be a good leader, manager and boss. I learned to set a good example, be a good listener and organizer and have vision. As a restaurant owner, you are the coach, and you have to know where you’re going. I knew I could never do any other job.

"As a restaurant owner, you are the coach, and you have to know where you’re going. I knew I could never do any other job."

One day in 1997, I was working in Santorini, Greece, and a woman sat down by herself. I saw she was quiet and beautiful, and we started talking. I gave her my business card and asked her to come back that night when I wasn’t as busy. To my surprise, she returned. I told her about myself, and she told me she was a nurse, on vacation with her brother. After she left Santorini, we stayed in touch, and she came back several times.

We got married in 1999, and I moved to Indianapolis, where Jeanette had grown up. Six months later, I opened my first restaurant. It was very small – just eight tables. I had a couple guys in the kitchen and two servers. Business was so good that after two and a half years, we had to expand and move to a new location. Jeanette left nursing and joined me in the business.

Today, Santorini Greek Kitchen has 145 seats and 30 employees. I’m the one who opens and closes the door every single day. I want my employees to see how their boss does his best every day, so they’ll do their best.

It’s wonderful to be my own boss. I came to this country and did what I am passionate about. When you do something every day with passion and love, God will give back to you.

In Greece, I always thought about owning my own restaurant. When I came here, I found more opportunities. It’s a wonderful thing to accomplish what you have in your heart. And I did it here."

Jessica Doerffel: Road to the Ritz begins at ProStart®

Jessica Doerffel started her career in hospitality by busing tables as a teenager. Soon after, she became part of her high school’s ProStart team, which placed third at the first National Prostart Invitational®. Today, she’s the assistant food and beverage director at Elways, a restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton in Denver.

"The thought of taking a curriculum based on hospitality was unheard of in high school, so I jumped at the chance," she said.

While in college, Jessica completed internships at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and with Marriott International.

After college, Jessica stayed with Marriott International at properties in Hawaii, California and is now home in Denver. She rose through the ranks from assistant front desk manager to her current position.

The Colorado Restaurant Association recently honored her with its 2012 Industry Spotlight Exceptional Newcomer Signature Dish Award.

Her experience has come full circle for the NRAEF as well: Jessica will be a management judge at the 2013 National ProStart Invitational.

A version of this article originally appeared on the NRAEF website.