Vicente Aguilar, 38
Associate Manager
Cracker Barrel, Las Cruces, NM

What's a guy with a university degree in education doing managing a Cracker Barrel restaurant?

Answer: Lovin' every minute of it!

I never planned a career in the restaurant business. I came out of university and started teaching. But with a family to feed, it just wasn't paying the bills. I took a part-time job at a chain restaurant and enjoyed it right from the start. I'm a people person and if you genuinely like other people, there's no better business to be in.

Being a people person is what got me involved with Cracker Barrel.

My restaurant chain didn't really stress table visits, but I did them anyway. It was the best part of my job. One of my semi-regular customers was a Cracker Barrel manager. We'd been chatting one day and he said "You know, I visit a lot of restaurants and meet a lot of people and I'm sure you would make an excellent Cracker Barrel manager."

He meant it as a compliment; he wasn't actually offering me a job. But it got me to thinking. I knew nothing about Cracker Barrel - I thought it was a cheese! So I called headquarters, asked to speak to someone about a career and was on the phone with Rick Hunt (now a regional director) for nearly an hour. At the end of our call, he said "So, when can you start?"

I've been here three years and I'm more of a people person than ever. We all are; that's what makes Cracker Barrel such a success. Think about it - you've been six hours on the interstate. You're tired, bored and cranky. You walk into a Cracker Barrel and everybody is friendly and upbeat and genuinely happy to see you. An hour later, you walk out a completely different person.

From when they park their car to when they drive off, guests are everything. All our success, comes from treating guests right. They're my number one focus. I have responsibilities to my staff and to the company, but guests come first. After all, if they don't come back - I don't get a pay check!

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