Emma Carver’s 3 year Anniversary!
This past Tuesday was a very special day at Hard Knox! We celebrated Emma Carver’s 3 year anniversary of being a part of the Hard Knox team!
Emma has been an integral piece of our restaurant since 2015, when she stumbled upon Hard Knox on Yelp while looking for somewhere to grab dinner with a friend. From the moment she walked in the doors to eat at Hard Knox, Emma felt something special about the Hard Knox environment. She began eating at the tiny, hole in the wall restaurant frequently and loved absolutely everything about it. Every time she was there, she could feel the positive environment rubbing off on her and she always found herself thinking, “I want to work here.”
Emma soon applied for a job at Hard Knox and was hired as a counter employee where she worked the same shift every morning, running the register. Fast forward to today, Emma now serves as the restaurant’s catering manager. Since September 11th, 2015 Emma has been on a journey of constant growth. Emma loves that there is always an area growing or improving and constantly a new adventure happening at Hard Knox. “I can say 100%, every day I am learning something new and learning something I can use elsewhere in my life.” One of her favorite parts of her job is this constant learning opportunity. Every day looks a little different for Emma. She never feels stuck in a routine of doing the same thing over and over again, and she loves that.
Emma also shared that because Hard Knox is the organization it is, she also finds fulfillment in the opportunity to be out in the community often. Recently she was able to donate food to the Humane Society and help feed their employees. The whole point in the long run is for Emma to sell more catering, but the relationships and connections along the way are what make that possible and make it worth it. Emma said opportunities like this make her realize she is getting paid to do something she really enjoys.
We also asked Emma what the biggest impact her time at Hard Knox has had on her as an individual and she told us that her overall demeanor has changed for the better. Under the guidance of owner Alexa Sponcia, and the example Alexa sets for her employees, Emma has seen herself gain a tremendous amount of perspective. Emma has learned not to focus on small problems but the bigger picture. This has grown her as an employee but it is something she carries over into her every day life outside of work.
So what is it about Hard Knox that Emma loves so much? Simply put, it’s the environment. “When you go into work knowing you have a team beside you and people that genuinely care about you, you know you’re in the right place.” Emma said she never walks in the doors feeling uncomfortable or unwanted. Alexa has created a restaurant that works under a mission statement. The daily values the restaurant strives to demonstrate spark something within the employees that this restaurant is something different and something they want to be a part of. The environment within the staff bleeds out into the customer base and you can truly see it circulating in the entire restaurant. That’s what makes Hard Knox different. And that’s what makes Hard Knox home to Emma.
After a refreshing and uplifting interview with Emma, she ended by saying, “Overall I love my job so much. I am so glad events led up to me finding Hard Knox in that tiny location, which led me here. I can’t wait to see 3 years from now where Hard Knox is and I am so grateful to be on this journey with them. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
We are so thankful for YOU, Emma! You are a part of what makes that “Hard Knox Environment.” Having you a part of our team the past 3 years has been so special.
