I got into the restaurant business almost by accident.

When I was young, I played football and stopped at the same restaurant after practice every day to order the same thing. Eventually, they looked at me and said, “Why don’t you just work here?” So I did.

I stayed for 10 years, going from making sandwiches to managing two locations. I started so young that hospitality became second nature to me. I learned from the people around me, said yes whenever someone gave me an opportunity and just kept going.

I joined Luby’s in 2012, and saying yes has continued to take me places. Need someone to go to Eagle Pass? Yes. Jackson, Mississippi? Absolutely. Take on another responsibility? I’m probably going to say yes to that too.

I’ve always believed that if I come in, work hard and show people what I’m capable of, the next opportunity will find me. Along the way, I’ve also earned a nickname: MacGyver. I like figuring things out. Sometimes that means fixing something that’s broken in the restaurant. Sometimes it means finding a better way to do something. And sometimes it means helping people work through a difficult situation. I’m usually convinced there’s a solution—we just have to find it.

That mindset has served me well as a General Manager and now as an Operating Partner, where I have the opportunity to look beyond my own restaurant, help other locations and take on a new set of challenges.

But at my own restaurant, everything still comes back to the guest. Our location in San Antonio’s Medical Center is unique. People walk through our doors from all over the city and beyond. Some are coming from a doctor’s appointment. Some are visiting someone they love in the hospital. And you never really know what kind of day someone is having. That’s why I tell people I hire employees who can change people’s moods. If someone walks in having a difficult day and we can give them a warm welcome, a good meal and a reason to smile, we’ve done something worthwhile.

Outside of Luby’s, apparently I still like fixing things. I buy old boats that don’t work, teach myself how to repair them and get them running again. I’m also interested in recovering gold and am building my own gold recovery machine at home. Someday, my dream is to retire somewhere near a river and spend my days panning for gold.

For now, life is a little busier. I have five kids, a restaurant, plenty of projects and usually something that needs fixing. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Give me a challenge, and I’ll probably say yes. Then I’ll figure out how to make it work.