Her Story
About Dominique
Dominique Tahiry is a hospitality professional whose passion for service began at the age of 16 in Madagascar, an island nation where tourism plays a vital role in the economy. Inspired by a television program about a hotel owner who worked alongside his staff to better understand their challenges, Dominique developed an early vision of becoming a leader who serves with empathy and purpose. With the unwavering support of her mother, she pursued a degree in Hospitality Management and gained hands-on experience in a variety of roles, including server, busser, and dishwasher. By the age of 22, she had achieved her first major milestone—managing a luxury guest house in southern Madagascar and leading a team of ten employees, many of whom had significantly more life and work experience than she did.
Determined to continue growing professionally, Dominique took on an even greater challenge when she immigrated to the United States without speaking English. Starting over from scratch, she accepted a position as a bartender and quickly distinguished herself through her work ethic, leadership abilities, and commitment to excellence. Within just a few months, she was promoted to management, a reflection of her dedication and natural talent for leading teams. Today, she serves as a Restaurant Manager, overseeing daily operations, guest relations, staff development, scheduling, inventory management, wine selection, and digital menu administration while ensuring exceptional service standards in a fast-paced hospitality environment.
What drives Dominique most is the opportunity to create meaningful experiences for others. She believes that hospitality is about much more than food and service—it is about making people feel valued, understood, and cared for. Whether helping plan a memorable celebration, resolving a guest concern with empathy, or mentoring team members to reach their potential, she finds fulfillment in bringing happiness to others. Her journey from Madagascar to the United States is a testament to resilience, determination, and the belief that with hard work and continuous learning, any goal is achievable. As a young leader, immigrant, and advocate for personal growth, Dominique continues to inspire others to embrace challenges, believe in themselves, and pursue their ambitions with confidence.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Dominique
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my ability to satisfy people and show empathy. When people are happy, I feel even happier than them. That's what I enjoy the most about hospitality. Whether it's a couple on a date night where the boyfriend asks if we can put roses on the table and I help them create a surprise, or just making any guest's experience special, creating those moments of genuine happiness drives everything I do. I also think my resilience has been key. Starting at 16 in Madagascar, managing a luxury guest house at 22 with employees twice my age in a city where I had to learn a completely different dialect, and then moving to America without speaking English and rebuilding my career from scratch - all of these challenges taught me to adapt and prove myself. I love what I'm doing, so even when it can make me tired sometimes, I don't really feel that pressure to go to work because I genuinely enjoy it.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You belong in the room that you worked hard for. Because you are a woman, people will sometimes try to put you in a box, telling you that you should just be a housewife taking care of kids. But you also have a dream, and we are allowed to chase our dreams. Whatever people say, you deserve to have a dream, and you deserve to focus on your dream too, not just stay in the box that society wants you to be. In my country, it's kind of complicated as a woman having a dream because the mentality is more like 'you are a woman, you better find a husband, you should have kids.' But you can be a wife and have kids while at the same time having your own dreams and following them. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
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