Influential Woman · Hospitality Industry

Nicole Enea

General Manager, Milwaukee Brat House-Shorewood

Milwaukee, WI

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Degree Public Relations Member Shorewood Business Improvement District Board Member Vice President

Her Story

About Nicole

I've always loved working in the hospitality industry because customer service is key and you meet new people along the way. It's a great industry for growth - you can start out just as a hostess, and then become a bartender, server, and now, like me, a general manager. I've been in this field for 20 years, and my main area of expertise is event planning. I handle daily operations of a restaurant, including staffing, scheduling, problem solving, and event coordinating, going through all the steps of planning events for our restaurant. I really love working with people and being in front of people daily, and the interaction. Hospitality and food bring people together. It's a lot of hard work, but it is an amazing industry, and the people that you meet along the way, whether it's your coworkers, your wine reps, your liquor reps, or your daily customers that come in as regulars, it always brings a smile on my face. Where I work, it's a very small community, so I see the same people daily and love to hear their stories and chat with them on a daily basis.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Nicole

01What do you attribute your success to?

I would say the passion and all of the hard work that goes into it over the years, and just seeing the results and the outcome of everything. With event planning, you're creating lifelong memories for people, such as a wedding, or a family anniversary, or a special birthday, and just seeing their smiles on their faces, that's worth everything. It's those moments that keep me motivated and remind me why I love what I do.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've received is to be a strong leader. For me, I lead by example, and I don't have my staff do anything that I wouldn't do myself. I really stand by that, and I think my staff really respects me because of it. In the service industry, you get people from all different walks of life, and I've always led by the principle that if there isn't something I can't do, or if I won't do it, then I can't expect my staff to do it.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say don't give up, persevere, keep hardworking, and you will climb to the top. The hospitality industry offers tremendous room for growth if you stay committed and put in the effort.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

For me, staffing is a hard one. Obviously, since COVID, the service industry took a huge hit. A lot of people wanted to leave the industry just because restaurants were closing, and there were issues with hours and how people were getting treated. That has been probably my toughest struggle right now, just finding staff. In Milwaukee, we have such a great dining scene, but restaurants are unfortunately facing closures. We still see online a lot of times that places can't open for the day because of staffing problems. Don't get me wrong, it's not always like that, and we have lots of great places that are thriving, but there are a few, and it's been kind of sad to see them go.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I definitely would have to say family and people in general. For me, it's always the small things that lead to the big things, especially in event planning. You're creating these special moments for people, so it's always great to see food and people and celebrations come together. Family and the social aspect are just very important, at least in my career. The success of that social interaction is what drives me.

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