Just call Guillermina Padilla “Mom” or “tia” (aunt)—her staff does. As the operations manager for Chayo Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar at The Linq Promenade, she loves welcoming guests into the restaurant and her home, and she loves making her staff feel heard and taken care of.
It’s a role the California native knows well, as her first career was stay-at-home mom. As her children got older, she went back to school to become a business accounting technician. Eight years ago, she moved to Las Vegas and began working in accounting departments at various companies, but the food and beverage industry called to her. Padilla started at local restaurants, eventually moving to the Strip and into management roles, and joined Chayo seven months ago.
“I run the operations of the restaurant, making sure that guests are happy, food comes out on time, drinks are made correctly; making sure from corner to corner it’s a smooth operation,”she says.
Overseeing the restaurant (you’ll see Padilla everywhere) “comes very natural,” she says. “My husband and daughters say all the time I’m the queen of hospitality. … I make sure guests are gonna have a good time. I welcome them into my home. … I also love leading my team, teaching them, guiding them. Leading by example is my type of management.
“I’ve built a strong connection with my team; I think it’s really important when you’re a manager. I like to let my team open up to me. I’m known as Mom or they call me tia—I love that.”
Photo by: Christopher DeVargas
Libation: Watermelon Margarita
Padilla says guests call Chayo’s margaritas some of the best on the Strip. A favorite is the watermelon margarita made with Mi Campo tequila, house-made margarita mix, fresh-squeezed watermelon juice, lime juice, triple sec and agave syrup.
Benefit: Friday and Saturday, the restaurant turns into a nightclub for Latin Nights, with DJs and no cover, midnight to 4 a.m.
The Linq Promenade. chayolv.com
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