Chad Booth: A Proud Member of the Industrial Revolution Family

XRock-After-Party 1When you love your job, it shows. When you have a genuine passion for what you do, it shows. And it rubs off on others around you. Chad Booth, Manager at Industrial Revolution Eatery and Grille in Valparaiso is one of those wonderful cases of an employee who loves coming to work.

Booth works as a closing manager for the front of the house at Industrial Revolution. He and the rest of the staff work the dinner rush, preparing for impending guests as soon as lunch is over.

“I make sure everyone is informed on what they are doing and that they are aware of the specials and other important instructions,” Booth said. “And I manage the floor, making sure that our guests are happy with their meals.”

Booth was part of the crew who opened the restaurant in 2010. He worked there for two years, moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and has recently just come back to Northwest Indiana. He made a beeline for Industrial Revolution when he got back.

“There is no place else that I would rather work,” he said. “This restaurant is not a business, it’s a home. My coworkers are not coworkers, they’re family.”

Booth has seen it all happen at Industrial Revolution. He has witnessed people falling in love, friendships form, shy servers grow confident, and other life experiences within the walls of the restaurant.

“I have never worked somewhere where everyone wants their tables to be satisfied until I came here,” Booth said. “Many people consider serving jobs to be transitional positions but here everyone really takes pride in their jobs.”

Booth’s story aligned with Industrial Revolution’s when he saw the statues on the building’s roof.

“I drove past and I was like, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that.’ And since they were first opening I was actually the first server to apply,” Booth said. “I started out serving then I became a trainer. Then I trained the trainers, and then I was promoted to management right before I moved.”

When Booth came back he was offered his job as a manager again and he gladly claimed it. He stated that the best part of his job was helping his “family”.

“When you are serving you are focused on what you need to do, but as a manager you're free to help everybody,” Booth said. “It makes me feel like a have a good purpose.”

IMG 1615Things can get hectic in a busy restaurant setting. Booth keeps his cool by remembering to take things with a grain of salt.

“When someone is upset it usually isn’t your fault. They are having a moment in their life that is hard and you happen to be the person that they deal with at that time,” Booth said. “Things happen and that’s life, but it’s how you handle those things that makes the difference.”

This applies to Booth’s life, personally. Before getting into the restaurant industry, he was shy and introverted. And as many know, servers have to be social in order to be successful at their jobs. Booth came out of his shell as time went by and he had some wonderful experiences because of that transformation. He credits many of those experiences to his position at Industrial Revolution. “I’ve had amazing experiences working in the service industry,” Booth said. “Things that you never thought could happen, happened. I had a lot of fun.”

So the next time you come in for a bite at Industrial Revolution, look for Chad Booth. He’ll be the happy guy with the genuine smile ready for you.