Applebee's Grill and Bar

Applebee’s acted as a catalyst for my management development. During the decade that I spent working for the company, I learned every facet imaginable about day-to-day operations. Working throughout my undergraduate studies, I was able to apply higher-level practices within the chaotic nature of restaurants. This was where I first started to develop my passion for motivating others. I naturally gravitated towards training my fellow co-workers while focusing on their own internal drivers. One location in particular was suffering from significantly low morale. I went in and created an employee recognition program in an attempt to rebuild some of the lost confidence. As employees became more engaged, their service improved, eventually contributing to a small increase in sales. Some of my proudest moments came from watching some of my employees join me in salaried management.