Haley Larsen
Haley Larsen is an experienced training and development leader based in Tyler, Texas, with a strong passion for building people-first teams and streamlining restaurant operations. She currently works with Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse, where she serves in leadership roles focused on service, bar management, and operational support. With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, Haley is known for bringing structure, energy, and consistency to fast-paced environments while helping teams deliver exceptional guest experiences.
Haley began her career at Texas Roadhouse at 16 years old as a host and steadily grew through the ranks into server, trainer, training coordinator, and manager. During her nearly 10 years with the company, she played a key role in new store openings, staff development, and nationwide training initiatives, helping maintain culture and performance across multiple locations. Her experience traveling to train teams and launch restaurants helped shape her hands-on leadership style and deep commitment to teaching and development.
Today, Haley continues to focus on operational excellence and people development at Parry’s, where she supports training systems, team structure, and day-to-day leadership. She is passionate about creating positive workplace cultures where employees feel supported, motivated, and empowered to grow. Haley’s leadership philosophy centers on the belief that strong training and genuine care for people are the foundation of any successful business.
• ServSafe Manager
• TABC Certification
• Tyler Junior College
• Pennies for Pints
• Fundraising for Schools
• Churches
• Community Donations
• Childrens Advocacy Center for Smith County
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my employees, 100%. I have always said that if you take care of your people, your people will take care of your business, and I've seen that all the way through in my entire career. They're the ones that are taking care of your guests, handling your food, cooking your food, and taking care of your dishes. You really have to rely on them to take care of everything. I think that engaging with my employees and making sure that they know that I'm not just here to guide you and be a leader for you, but I care about you - we care about our employees more than the average, in my opinion. We just had a baby shower for one of our girls. I've driven them home before, I'll pick them up, I go to graduations, and I've helped them get ready for prom before and did their makeup for them for free, just because I think that those types of things really stay with a person. I genuinely believe that I can make a difference in these people's lives, just by being understanding, having that empathy, and just being there for them and being more than just a boss. I want to be a leader for them, and I want to be someone that they can look up to and want to be like and want to be around. Sometimes home life isn't that great, so I want my people to enjoy coming to work. I want it to be a great place to be, and a fun place.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is that respect is earned and not given. Going into being a manager at such a young age, especially working in the industry that I work in where the turnover rate can be pretty high and you're working with a lot of teenagers and college students, I think that a lot of times these kids are working for places where respect is expected. They're not expecting to have management that's like, you know, hey, while you're doing this, I'm gonna grab this for you, or what can I do for you, or how are you feeling, and checking in with them. Every now and then, once a month is what we try to do, just to make sure that they're acclimating well and that they're doing okay. A lot of times they won't come to you with certain things, so making sure that they feel heard and feel seen is how you can keep people, and you can gain loyalty and respect at the same time.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to stay strong. The service industry is not for everyone. You have to have some pretty thick skin, for sure. Stay strong and stay firm in the things that you believe are morally right, and make sure that you are knowledgeable about what you're doing, because the guests can eat youYou can't really let that get to you, because it'll affect you in a big way, so being able to brush things off and really just persevere and move on to the next thing is important, because there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. The only way to get through it is to just go. You just gotta get through it.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
For the industry itself, the turnover is a big deal, but I'm never gonna have the perfect shift. There is always something that is going to happen, whether that's something involving a guest incident, or the pilot light won't start, or the dishwasher pressure is broken, or the breakers keep flipping, or someone called out. There's a multitude of things that can go wrong in the restaurant industry, and I think that's where we are - we're problem solvers. One of our biggest things is, I want you to bring me solutions, not more problems. There are a hundred problems that we have right now, but who is bringing me solutions, and are those solutions something that we can make happen. Is it ethical? Is it legal? Is it something that we can make happen? So definitely looking for problem solvers instead of problem givers, because there's always definitely something that's gonna go wrong on a day-to-day basis. Staying calm is a big thing as well.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life include integrity, empathy, determination, motivation, and kindness. Integrity is huge for me because if I can trust you to do the right thing when nobody is looking, I can trust you with anything, and I can delegate to you. I think that integrity piece is huge, especially in the restaurant industry, with taking care of the guests and making sure that they're well taken care of, because they notice that and they see that. In my personal life, on my days off, I spend a lot of time with my son. His name is Declan, and he just turned five. I love to bake - I bake for my staff, I bake for birthday parties, I've baked for church walks, all kinds of things, and I really enjoy it. Cooking and baking for other people brings me a lot of joy. I'm also involved in community work through our partnership with the Children's Advocacy Program, which is really close to my heart, and we do a lot of fundraising for schools, churches, and organizations.