Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katharine Gottfried. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katharine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

It would be impossible for me to narrow down the kindest thing anyone has EVER done for me but I can say that the kindest memorable moments have come to me in the smallest and simplest gestures. Throughout my career at Yo Bo Cantina I have been privileged to work with a number of kind, caring, and compassionate people who have illustrated their true character during stressful, chaotic, or unplanned situations. In the fifteen years I have been a part of this company, I have lost my brother, opened and closed 3+ restaurants, lived through Covid, and had two children in under two years. During each of these events, my staff has ALWAYS come together to support me and the company in any way they could. The future is unpredictable but I know that my staff is my extended family and we will always be there for each other. So the kindest thing they have done for me is to make me feel supported. I hope they can say the same for me!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started as a counter server at Yo Burrito, in 2006. It was supposed to be a summer position, post-college, while I figured out my next step but I ended up staying for about 1.5 years. Eventually, I left in Fall ’08 for graduate school in Denver but boomeranged right back to Charleston to finish my degree and work at Yo Burrito… indefinitely. I fell in love with the food & beverage culture. We were located in the heart of downtown Charleston, one block from the College of Charleston campus. The place was always buzzing with energy, work was busy but it was so fun, and time flew by. I forged lifelong relationships, learned about business and running a small company, and I really enjoyed interacting with people on a customer service level.

Nick Powers created this amazing and unique culture and it etched its way into my heart. Under his guidance, never-ending patience, perseverance, and creative abilities, I learned invaluable lessons. Nick and I partnered in late 2012 and opened our first joint venture, Yo Bo Cantina Fresca in 2013.

We specialize in healthy Mexican food. We are known for our burritos and our gigantic Mason Jar Margarita, -served in a 32oz. Ball jar. Yo Bo takes traditional Mexican cuisine and puts a Tex-Mex spin on it, offering small-batch homemade salsas & sauces, high-quality proteins, and a consistent product in a local neighborhood that won’t break the bank.

We are proud to have served the Charleston community for more than 20 years in what feels like 100 different locations! We joke that Yo Bo is like the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon- ask someone in town about the restaurant- chances are they know SOMEONE that has worked for us!

At the end of the day, what matters most is that we put out a good product, run a business that we can stand behind, and have a happy staff to help us along the way. We want Yo Bo to be more than just a place to eat. We want customers to enjoy their experience for the food, atmosphere, and human interactions. We want to be like Cheers- where everyone knows your name and you know ours too.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When Covid hit, we had to pivot to a take-out only business. This meant changing basically how we ran everything- how we staffed, how we planned and ordered for the week, how we cleaned and sanitized, how we did EVERYTHING. We learned so much but what we came away with was an OVERWHELMING amount of community support. We had customers leaving $50-100 tips on $20 orders for the staff. We had customers that would rotate pick up orders from their favorite restaurants, even though they didn’t need to, just to give support. We has staff sharing one shift a week, so everyone could have a turn. It was hard but it was amazing.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I was sweeping the floor at my new summer summer job, setting up for the day. Nick walked in, we started chatting, and I knew then that he was someone I wanted to work for. He was kind, sincere, and we had an instant connection. That was more than 15 years ago!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.facebook.com/yobocantina/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yobocantina/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yobocantina/