Employee Spotlight: Meet Teaira!
Left to right: COO Mike Smith, GM Teaira Wade, Area Supervisor Joe Summerour, and CEO Dan Simpson
Who runs the world? Girls! Teaira Wade, General Manager of our Kennesaw, GA location, is one of many female leaders making their mark at Taziki’s.
Teaira started as Cashier with Taziki’s at the Alpharetta, GA location nearly 8 years ago - her first job after high school! She’d gathered some food service experience during her time at McDonald’s while still in school, but was looking for a place she could gain more knowledge. After hearing about Taziki’s from a friend, she joined the team and has been with us ever since!
“When the opportunity was given to me, I quickly latched on and started learning as much as I could about the restaurant. It’s amazing how much has changed.”
Joe Summerour, the Atlanta Area Supervisor for Taziki’s, remembers Teaira standing out from the crowd early on.
“When I first met her, she was just becoming a Shift Leader - I had just started my own career with Taziki's. She always had a smile on her face, and everyone had the utmost respect for her. I asked her one day, ‘Teaira, what is holding you back from being an Assistant GM or GM?’ She said politely, ‘I don't think I would be good at it.’ She was quiet then and just kept doing her job to perfection. I told her, ‘One day you will make it. I can see it in you.’
Well, she never stops reaching for the top. Every obstacle she faces she conquers, and now, just a few years later, Teaira is a force to be reckoned with. She loves her guests and staff. She is always giving them praise and lifting their spirits, and her willingness to train and develop her staff is her greatest strength. She shows a great deal of dedication and commitment to be a top leader here in Atlanta. She has never looked back and has overcome her fears of being a leader, future entrepreneur, and well rounded GMr - I'm proud to say she is on my team!”
Joe is spot on - Teaira loves talking about her team! “I enjoy watching the team and market grow as a whole. We get a lot of team players that attend college and seeing them be able to balance school and work is so inspirational to me. Sometimes I feel like a mom at work, keeping up with the team and making sure everything is going ok in their lives with school work and extracurricular activities, because trying to balance everything can be a lot. I also enjoy seeing the market grow. We have set records in the most challenging times. Being able to grow sales and set records even in spite of a pandemic is so rewarding.”
Teaira’s favorite item is the Thursday special, the Shrimp Taco. “It's something about the Spicy Herb Sauce that I just absolutely admire - it pairs with the seafood so well. I've learned to expand my taste buds through Taziki's. I did not have my first gyro or taste of Taziki sauce until working here. I never really branched out with food, but Taziki's has taught me not to get stuck on one thing”.
Her favorite memory? “One of my birthdays here as a Cashier, the General Manager Zach asked me to come help him clear a table on the patio, and when I came outside he had the guest and staff surprise me with cake & ice cream, and they sang happy birthday to me. I thought that was so thoughtful. I can be a bit shy so I was so red in the face!
Outside of her time at Taziki’s, Teaira loves spending time with her family, especially helping her father with his automobile business. Her long term career goal is to pursue her education to become an orthodontist and have her own business!
“To anyone thinking about joining the team,” Teaira says, “Go for it! Taziki's has been the best job I've ever worked. There are few places that make you feel like you are in a family oriented environment when working. I've learned so much from working with the company over time and I feel like if I wasn't learning, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
