Caitlin Chavez is a Chick-fil-A franchisee in Puerto Rico. Chavez is devoted to the model, specializing in high quality, customer support and sustainability.
Caitlin Chavez, the proprietor of a thriving Chick-fil-A franchise in Puerto Rico, has come a good distance since her humble beginnings with the model. Beginning as a teen, she rapidly found a ardour for the corporate’s dedication to high quality meals and customer support.
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Caitlin Chavez. Picture: Chick-fil-A |
Through the years, Chavez labored her approach up via the ranks, gaining beneficial expertise in varied roles, from cashier to worldwide coach. Her dedication and onerous work earned her recognition and alternatives for development. Ultimately, she realized her dream of proudly owning her personal Chick-fil-A franchise.
At the moment, Chavez is a profitable enterprise proprietor who has not solely constructed a thriving restaurant however has additionally turn into a mentor and inspiration to her group. She attributes her success to her unwavering dedication to Chick-fil-A’s values, her perception within the energy of teamwork, and her ardour for offering distinctive buyer experiences.
However that is not the top of Chavez’s story. Sustainability is essential to the franchisee, so she does one thing extraordinary along with her additional lettuce on the finish of the week. Extra on that later.
Making Chick-fil-A house
Chavez first began working for the rooster model in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as an element time group member.
When she went to school, she was working as a lifeguard and in search of one other job to assist pay for faculty. A Chick-fil-A franchise was opening just some miles away from the College of Chattanooga the place she was finding out, so she went again to the model as a group member.
As a nursing scholar, she deliberate to work there half time, however “Chick-fil-A ended up simply fully altering my life for the higher,” Chavez mentioned. She labored her approach up via the management ranks, ending as an govt director for the franchisee she labored for.
Chavez had modified her main a number of instances and took a 12 months off faculty. She did not know what she wished to do, she mentioned, however her operator inspired her to stick with Chick-fil-A and requested if she’d thought of being a franchisee.
At first, Chavez mentioned no approach — the choice course of was too rigorous. However she was contemplating it, so she went again to school, modified her main to enterprise, “and all of it simply clicked,” she mentioned.
She did some grand openings for the assist middle earlier than making use of and being accepted into Chick-fil-A’s Management Improvement Program the place executives journey the nation for grand openings.
Her first contact with worldwide Chick-fil-A operations occurred in Canada, the place she served as a coach. She utilized and was selected to be the primary franchisee to open a Chick-fil-A in Puerto Rico, which she did in 2022. (There at the moment are six on the island.)
The reception was “wild” in Puerto Rico, Chavez mentioned. “I had skilled a few of this in Canada as a result of in Canada the reception was fairly good as nicely. The traces simply went on for hours.”
Puerto Ricans are neighborhood targeted, Chavez defined, and household oriented. Residents love to take a seat down and have meals collectively. The drive-thu line went into the neighboring county and inside traces have been two-hours lengthy.
“It was extremely overwhelming in one of the simplest ways,” Chavez mentioned. “We have been overwhelmed as a result of the amount was intense, however the pleasure round lastly having Chick-fil-A in Puerto Rico – it is nonetheless there.”
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Chick-fil-A franchisee Caitlin Chavez feeds manatees extra lettuce from her restaurant. Picture: Chick-fil-A |
Chavez and the manatees
Rising up partly in South Florida, Chavez mentioned her favourite animals have been manatees. When she was youthful, she batted across the thought of turning into a marine biologist, and she or he wished to avoid wasting the manatees.
Her husband took her on a go to to the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Middle in Puerto Rico. Whereas there, she noticed a truck bringing in produce to the CMCC for the manatees.
“I requested ‘Do you guys take donations?’ they usually mentioned ‘Sure!'” Chavez mentioned. She realized she was throwing away a number of hundred kilos of extra romaine and inexperienced leaf lettuce from the restaurant each week. Would not or not it’s higher to donate it to the middle for the manatees?
The one who prepares all of the lettuce for the day separates all of the scraps into bins within the walk-in cooler on the restaurant.
“We gather that all through the week, after which we drive it over on Saturdays,” Chavez mentioned.
Chavez mentioned manatees eat about 700 kilos of lettuce a day, and though she donates 200 kilos every week, it is a small half to play in each conservation and sustainability. It makes each Chavez and her group really feel like they’re doing one thing good for the island and the manatees. Even visitors will praise Chavez on the manatee work.
“I really feel so extremely grateful to get to do that each single day. Filling our neighborhood’s cup has been so particular,” she added. “Puerto Rico is an exquisite island and conservation is a giant deal to them.”