Hello! I'm Claire.

the long story

For over two decades, I have worked nearly every position in restaurants.Line cook, prep cook, dishwasher, cashier/host, server, assistant manager, general manager, director of operations, chief operating officer. Trash picker upper, floor mopper, toilet cleaner, HR, unlicensed therapist.I was 12 when I started working in my family's country market sweeping mopping and stocking, and 22 when I took my first leadership position at Puckett's as an assistant manager.I had no idea what I was doing and learned everything the hard way.I learned from other people what to do.. and what not to do.I googled. I read. I watched and listened.I made a lot of mistakes. I learned how to build a team and how to build trust.I also learned how easy it is to lose trust.I have been deep in the weeds, and have learned how to get out of the weeds.I have slowly moved from being a natural but clueless leader, to being a more effective one.Over time, things began to click. My first store that I opened as General Manager became the company's top store in sales AND I had a great team. I was able to step out of the restaurant from time to time and become a community leader, which built our restaurant's reputation.I became our company's first Director of Operations and then Chief Operating Officer, as we built our family's restaurant group A. Marshall Hospitality from one location, to nine restaurants during my tenure (they're still growing!). I won awards for leadership and community impact along the way.I never would have been able to do anything of this without building a self-sufficient team and a supportive culture. This became my true joy.Over 20 years later, I'm still addicted to hospitality and foodservice, but most especially to coaching leaders in this field. I now run my own company, Hattie Jane's Creamery, where I get to nurture young people at the very beginning of their professional lives, all while serving ice cream which simply makes people happy.I also love to help other restaurant operators get out of the weeds and into a better place. A happier place, a less stressful place, a more manageable place.