We were lucky to catch up with Kat recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kat, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Each time I opened a new restaurant, it was a huge risk! There’s always the unknown, did I figure the number’s right? What if this doesn’t work out? And making sure you have the right amount of head and heart into it. Each time I opened a new place there was always the excitement, then the question of did I make a mistake when the real hard work began. You will always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And I win, because no matter what, I don’t stop trying or say negative too long. If you stay true to yourself, trust your gut, and become vulnerable and embrace it, you will not fail.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I began in this field at 14 years old working as a hostess/busser/food runner at a local ski resort. I took my first serving job at Bob Evans when I was 17 years old. My first Bartending Job at 21 years old, and took one of my 1st risks moving to Mackinac Island at 22 for a job offer to bartend at the Pink Pony after waiting on some of the managers and staff at my then current job. It was an amazing decision, I would not be where I am today if I did not take that first leap and go into the unknown! I didn’t call in sick, show up late, or half ass it. I didn’t leave until the job was done. I picked up extra slack and I was a team player. I had fun while doing it and you unknowingly, set examples for others when your work ethic shows people who you are. I remember my Manager in one meeting saying, ” and if you don’t know, ask Kat” . I had no idea he thought of me in that sense, I became proud of myself and at that point I knew I had to continue to show up in work, and in my personal life. It was my character becoming me, I knew I wanted to do bigger and better things. Along my journey there have been times I have wanted to quit. To sell my restaurants and there were times I did not go into them for a month straight! I had my own personal trials and tribulations, but I worked thru them. Tough times do not last, tough people do, and the team we had created while just following my dream became My team who carried me thru when I could not. That’s the real stuff dreams are made of. At 29, my boss at the Tavern I was working at sold me his lifelong family’s business. WHen I asked him why me?, He replied ” I like the way you do thing’s kid”. It was my 1st of 4!

Any advice for managing a team?

DO Not micro manage. Let them know what’s expected and hold them accountable. Remember their kids names, their husbands and wives. Close for a day and treat them to dinner or a fun activity. We like Escape rooms and zip lining! I take their pictures in their uniform at work and for $15 I print them and put them into $40 frames and hang them in our restaurant. The customers love it, and the staff can see we are proud of them. Pay above minimum wage, even if it’s small, it matters that they know they are better than the bare minimum when they begin. If they express wanting to learn more or grow, you MUST let them or you will lose them, and you should want this because the more they know, the bigger asset they are for you. Communicate! ANd show up, even when things are running smooth, and do the dishes, or bus the tables, run the food. Shiw them you are there next to them, always

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

There were a few times things got scary. You buckle down, you go to work. I opened my 2nd restaurant in July 2017, it was a very busy opening and we were not prepared. I didn’t listen when my food vendor told me he thought the menu had too much on it. (It had WAY TOO MUCH ON IT!) And he also told me I shouldn’t have Alligator on the menu because it was too unique of an item and wouldn’t sell and I strangely did listen to this and did not put it on the menu although I had loved it at another restaurant I had visited in the past and had always wanted access to it anytime I had wanted! We had 2 hour waits for food and the high end food we were throwing away a lot when it did not sell. The costs were sky high, and before you know it, no one was coming in anymore. It became a ghost town by Sept/Oct. I cried when i heard my phone chime that we received another review online, I just KNEW it was a 1star. I called up my realtor and told him I thought I wanted to sell it and had made a huge mistake. I avoided the restaurant for an entire month. I couldn’t bring myself to go in there and face anyone. Then, after what I call rock bottom, I closed my ears to all the noise I had let in, the people telling me what to do and not to do and I had a long talk with myself. I said, ” Kat, you have one more shot at this or you may as well shut the doors.” Hell Week! The week between Christmas and New Years when everyone is home for the holidays and no matter what we are going to have a rush of people who don’t know how bad we suck right now, and I have to show them we DON’T SUCK! I completely rebranded the menu, and yeah, I Put Alligator on there! And I looked at the staff and said Ok here we go! They were so nervous but they trusted me, and we did it. We were so busy. We had one cook walk out New year’s Eve at 9pm, restaurant packed. I saw pure panic in the other 2 cooks and I said it’s ok, let him go. We are going to work thru these tickets one by one, together and that’s all we need to do. 1 by 1 until it’s done! We did! We had Rave reviews. Everyone LOVED the Gator! We started to climb for the next 3 years, did numbers no one in our town was doing. We hot 2.2 Million in sales , then 2.3million, then did it again during Covid with restaurants closing all around us. We launched a Delivery Service, Online Ordering System, Made 20 igloos out of PVC Pipe and boat shrink wrap, plumbed heat into them and THRIVED! We still run 90% of that same menu today, and Guess what one of our #1 seller’s is? Yep! Gator! Porter Haus thrived, allowing us to rebrand Mary’s Tavern into A restaurant during Covid, then Marys Stein Haus and Porter Haus’s success allowed us to buy and Open Abi’s Bistro named after our daughter in 2022, and we are currently opening Kane’s Lobster Pot & Bourbon Bar this month named after our son!     

Contact Info:

• Website: porterhausgaylord.com

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