At a very young age, restaurateur Javarius Gay learned the secret to success in the culinary industry: the importance of hospitality. “When I was 15 years old, I started working for a Culver’s ButterBurger franchise,” recalls the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, native.
He enjoyed getting to know customers, and provided exceptional customer service, that his employers took note of. He was eventually promoted to team leader, then not long after, to manager.
“I was managing at 16 years old and I had a crew of 10-plus [individuals] who were many years older than me, all adults, all in college. And here I am a high school kid doing scheduling and things of that nature,” says Gay who worked at the ButterBurger franchise through high school.
He continues, “The hospitality part—having conversations with the customers, the regulars—I enjoyed talking to and meeting new people. And there’s no better place to meet them than over food.”
A Detour to Success
Admitting that “cooking was never my specialty,” Gay pursued his education and attended Atlanta’s Morehouse College on a basketball scholarship, graduating in 2016 with a degree in business management with a minor in sales.
Although he planned to play pro basketball overseas, things didn’t turn out as he imagined. “I messed up my knee,” he recounts. Following his college sports career, and subsequent knee injury, Gay leveraged his business degree to pursue opportunities in the sales and business sector.
“This experience [in business] was instrumental in preparing me for my journey as a restaurant owner,” shares the entrepreneur.
By Jocelyn Amador
