Katherine Devi Lutz

I think my children, particularly becoming a young mom, have been my biggest motivation - to show them that you can do anything you put your mind to. Especially in a world where technology is taking over, I want them to see that mom's still here, mom's still fighting, even with the hardships we've had in my marriage health-wise. Having good friends and family and the support that you have behind you is also important. My mom is not that far away, so if I ever need her, she's always there. One quote my dad always gave me - he passed away about 18 years ago when I was young - was to seize each day as if it was your last and make the most of every single day. That's so important. He always helped people, and I may not be doing it to the capacity that he did, but I'm still making differences here and there with people who still matter, making people's days better, which is what my job is right now. They may come in with a bad day, but we're here to celebrate the good, the bad, all of it.

The best advice I ever received was from my dad, who passed away about 18 years ago when I was young. He always told me to seize each day as if it was your last and make the most of every single day. That advice has stayed with me and guides how I approach both my work and my life. It reminds me to embrace opportunities, stay resilient, and keep moving forward no matter what challenges come my way.

I would say don't give up, particularly because it's a man's industry. It really is - primarily restaurants and servers and whatnot were mainly men. I know I'm in a man's industry, it's a corporate company, and men think that they can dictate everything. But when I think about it, what 3 men could do, or 5 men could do, 2 women could do in less time. For example, my boss went away for a week to go to a conference to talk about leadership, and I said, trust me, there's nothing in this world that could teach you about leadership - you either have it, or you don't. When he asked what I accomplished that week, I got 3 quarters of my checklist checked off. I got it done. You ask me to do something, I got it done. I feel in some ways he's probably threatened by me. I haven't been in this job as long as he has, but I've accomplished a lot more in less time. So my advice is to stay persistent, be confident, and don't let anyone hold you back.

I think the biggest challenge right now is the increase in prices. Things have definitely become a lot more expensive, and the war in Iran doesn't help, which has only made our taxes go higher and made everything that we buy and sell more expensive. There's also the difficulty around tipping - there's always the argument of, well, if you can go out to eat, you should tip too. Tips are not required, but they are appreciated. We don't live in a country where our servers are paid to be servers, not just tipped. They literally make a minimum wage of $2.13 per hour on top of whatever tips they make. Another challenge is working with new people who come in, because our hosts, bussers, and takeaway crew are mostly high school and young adults, and they rotate a lot. I can see a generation of young adults who are not going off to college, which saddens me. Some of the takeaway girls are in their 20s, and I don't see any inspiration to go to school, which is discouraging. But I can also understand the difficulty - money, it's expensive. Being uplifting is important because I feel like they come in to work and it's their safe space away from their homes. You never know what someone's going through in life, you really don't. The opportunity is in being patient and understanding while also trying to run a business.

I truly believe that as a manager, you're not really - they don't work for you, you work for them. They're there to help you out. If you take care of them, then they'll take care of you. Being understanding and being there for them in that way is very important. I think one thing I've learned as a manager is there is no role too little for a manager. There's a quote I heard: treat your local janitor with the same respect as your local king. I believe in that. I hate when people say, oh, that's not my job. Well, neither is me bussing this table, but you know what, I'm going to bus that table and get it done because we've got people coming in and we want service. Respect is earned, and I believe that. You can't just walk in and be like, I'm the proprietor, so you're going to do what I want. You have to have the respect and the willingness of the people who work for you. Being understanding, listening - listening's a big one - and talking to people makes the impact on those around you. Finding an equal balance between work, life, and family is important. Family first. I also believe in being the change you wish to see in the world.