Influential Woman · Restaurant

Tammy Stochla

Business Owner, Tammy’s kitchen

Luzerne, PA

2018Years experience

Her Story

About Tammy

I've worked in the restaurant industry forever, since I was young. I started at Bonanza in Dallas and worked there for 17 years, then moved to the Pancake House where I worked for 10 years, followed by about 15 years at Ollie's. After decades of learning every aspect of the restaurant business - from the front staff to the back of the house - I finally decided it was time to follow my dream. With my husband's encouragement telling me to just do it and follow my dream, I opened my own restaurant 8 years ago. My restaurant specializes in comfort food made from family recipes, including a waffle recipe that's been in our family for over 100 years. These aren't Belgian waffles - they're really light, soft waffles that people just love. I make everything homemade: holushki with homemade noodles, lasagna, chicken croquettes, and I run about 4 homemade soups daily. All my children have worked for me while going through school, and while none of them want to take over the restaurant, they've learned to respect everyone in the restaurant industry and understand how hard people work. I run my restaurant with flexibility and compassion - if a server's kid gets sick and they need to pick them up, they can go without worrying about losing their job. I've worked in places where if you left, you didn't come back, and I never want anyone to feel that way. Staff can bring their kids to the restaurant to do homework or color if needed. I'm very conscientious about customer needs, especially allergies - I don't do fish in the fryer, and if someone has a peanut allergy, we wipe everything down with special sanitary cleaner before making their food. I go around to each table throughout the day asking how everything is and if there's something they'd like me to make as a special. I want to know my customers - their families, their graduations, their lives - because they're not just customers, they become part of the family.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Tammy

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to my passion for what I do and the decades of experience I gained working in restaurants. I learned everything - not just the culinary side, but the back of the kitchen, kitchen operations, and all aspects of running a business. I brought all of that experience into my own restaurant. My husband's support was crucial - he told me to just do it and follow my dream. I also believe in helping each other, helping your neighbors, your family, your friends. That's what the world should be about. I run my restaurant like a family, and I think that makes all the difference. You have to have 100% confidence and passion for this - not 99%, but 100%. And you have to build people up, not break them down. Having people in your life that help you with confidence is what you need.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

If this is your dream, you have to be 100% confident - no 99%, you have to be 100% confident that this is what you want to do. Understand the long hours, and know that if somebody calls out, you have to be the dishwasher or the cook. Follow your dreams - this is America, and you could be anything you want to be. America gives you that opportunity. Make sure family comes first. Sit down with your family and talk to them about it, because this isn't a decision for just one person. What affects you affects them. When I decided to open my restaurant, I talked to my children too, and they were 100% on board. You just have to have that passion for it. I go around to each and every one of my tables throughout the day asking how everything is and if there's something they'd like me to make as a special. That's passion - not just buying a restaurant and having somebody else run it. You have to go in with confidence, and you need people in your life that help you with confidence.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

Family is absolutely the most important value to me - I'm a mom of multiple children, and I would have had more kids if we could have afforded it because I just love them. I believe you have to help each other - help your neighbors, your family, your friends. That's what the world should be about. It's all about community. Compassion and respect are central to how I run my business - I never want my staff to worry about losing their jobs if they need to pick up a sick child, because I've worked in places that weren't like that and it's not the best feeling in the world. I want to build people up, not break them down. Confidence is so important - you have to go in with confidence and surround yourself with people who help you with that. Everything has to work together, and you always need people in your life that support you. I also believe in really getting to know people - my customers aren't just customers, they become part of the family. I want to know their families, hear about their graduations, and know where they've been.

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