I never planned on a career in restaurants. I was an accounting major at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, working as a bank teller and imagining a future in banking or as a CPA, when a Luby's recruiter came to campus. He didn't exactly make the job sound easy. He told me my back would hurt, I'd work longer hours than most of my friends, I'd probably want to quit during the first few months, and it could take 10 years to become a General Manager. Most of my classmates walked away from the interview. I thought it sounded pretty interesting.

I joined Luby's, and just about everything he told me turned out to be true. It took me roughly nine years to become a General Manager, and along the way I discovered that restaurant life suited me far better than sitting behind a desk ever would. I love that every day is different and that the work keeps me moving and thinking. I even met my wife at Luby's. She was a guest at the McAllen restaurant when I was an Assistant Manager.

One of the defining moments of my career came when I was selected to open the Luby's in Edinburg. The leader who chose me, Mr. Weaver, gave me advice I've carried ever since: Luby's can give you the opportunity, but what you do with it is up to you. Don't wait for someone else to make things happen. Go make them happen.

That philosophy has shaped the way I lead. From 2017 through 2021, our restaurant was the highest-volume Luby's in the company. I'm also proud of the team we've built here. Many of us have worked together for years, and it really is like a family. When you work alongside people for that long, you learn who has your back, and you want to have theirs, too.

I feel the same way about our community. Whether someone needs a major partner or simply some rice, beans, a cake, or a pie, I try to find a way for us to help. I want people to know that Luby's is here and that we're part of the community.

After all these years, my goal is pretty simple: keep building our restaurant, keep growing, and keep developing the people coming up behind me.

Outside of work, I love playing tennis and riding my bicycle. And this year brings a new milestone: both of my sons and their wives are expecting babies, so I'm going to become a grandfather for the first time, twice over.

For a career I never planned on, Luby's turned out to be a pretty good fit.