We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robyn Carter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robyn below.
Robyn , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?
The most amazing boss I’ve had is CK Chin, a restauranteur based in Austin, TX. I had the pleasure of meeting CK when I worked for him in Austin, TX at one of his restaurants, WU Chow.
CK is amazing because he is a real person. Very authentic and genuine. The same person every time you meet him. He wasn’t afraid to say things that needed to be said and he knew how to say them in a diplomatic way. He made split second decisions all the time and stuck to them. All the while, still knowing how to pivot. He is the same age as me and was actually born in the town where I grew up. Small world!
For him to be so together at the time when I met him, for where I was in my life, it was able to give me a totally different outlook on my career and entrepreneurship.
He has been dropping jewels on me since I met him and I can’t thank him enough for all the things I have learned from him. Just a great all around person. The kind of person you meet and just instantly feel better.
He would do any job necessary when it came to his restaurants. I have seen him do everything from hosting to working in the kitchen, Pre shift was always a place where he would motivate his staff to have the best service and he always made me want to do my job better.
Always kept the big picture in focus while showing how all the little pieces added up to make the big picture fantastic! Always took very good care of his employees too.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Robyn Carter from Fayetteville, NC. My first job was in a restaurant in 1994 and I never stopped. Food is love to me! My mom raised us showing us how important sitting down together and eating a meal is. So it just made sense that I love working in the food service industry! I started my culinary degree program in 1999 and haven’t looked back! I have traveled a lot and worked in a lot of kitchens for many different chefs. My cuisine is true to me in that it comes from my soul! I love to make food and watch people enjoy it. Breaking bread with each other is what it is all about! An entire experience is what you get with my food!
Low country cuisine is my main focus because it’s what I grew up on and where I went to culinary school was Charleston, SC. This place is the heart and soul of low country cuisine and I embraced it, my time spent there. Ms Martha was the breakfast cook one of the first places I worked when I moved to Charleston, SC. She took me under her wing and showed me the true spirit of Charleston. I convey that spirit through every meal I design and execute.
Cut to 2023 and I am about to open 2 waterfront concepts in a beautiful beach town with 2 amazing business partners!
Any advice for managing a team?
Treat people like people! The most important thing is do not ever forget that people are the reason why any one is in business and people are also employees, so always treat people the same way you want to be treated! Speak to every person on your team at work everyday. Acknowledging people does so much! Just a little hello or how are you today can go a long way!
If your team is making you money, no reason why you can’t spend some of that same said money on them. Doesn’t have to be all of it, but no matter what it is…..it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE!
I always tell my crew to treat each customer as if it’s their mom or their favorite person in their life. Treat customers and your teammates, serve them, and cook for them the same way you would for the most important person in your life!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Humility. One of the hardest lessons I continue to learn daily! I am a perfectionist so everything I do needs to be perfect every single time. That’s not possible because only with practice do things become better. I had to learn that every recipe has to be revisited. No matter how delicious, can something be improved? Every thing we do in this industry, has to consistently improve.
Contact Info:
- Website: driftmuse.com
- Instagram: @carolinagirlcatering.com
- Facebook: @carolinagirlcatering
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-carter-96865b159
- Twitter: @carolinagcaters
- Youtube: [email protected]