Q+A: LISSA HAMILTON:

Shake Shack exec stresses importance of social responsibility in restaurant industry

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Wade Vandervort

Lissa Hamilton is area director for Shake Shack.

Mon, Dec 16, 2019 (2 a.m.)

Lissa Hamilton is area director for Shake Shack, which entered the Southern Nevada market in 2014 and now has five locations in Las Vegas and Henderson. She works with general managers and managers in Nevada, Colorado and Utah, focusing her professional leadership style on helping others advance but also dedicating her personal time to improving the lives of women who could use a hand up.

Do you have any recent news you’d like to share?

Shake Shack recently launched All In, a companywide diversity and inclusion program. I am proud to say I have been part of this initiative since conception. The Human Rights Campaign awarded Shake Shack a score of 100% for its 2019 Corporate Equality Index Assessment. It’s amazing to work for a company that values and loves all our neighbors as well as celebrates and respects our differences.

What restaurant industry trends would you like to come back, keep around or go away?

Restaurants are no longer about just serving great food and beverages. These days, restaurants are working hard to stand for something socially responsible. Whether it be about community outreach, farm-to-table or sustainable responsible sourcing, we have moved to a multipurpose system of priorities. I hope that concept is here to stay and gets adopted on a larger scale.

What is your favorite Shake Shack menu item?

The Hot Chick’n without a doubt. It was one of our limited-time offerings. I love spicy food and that juicy chicken breast dusted in guajillo and cayenne pepper spices and house made slaw is an absolute fave.

What’s the best business advice you’ve received?

The best way to take care of the people who work for you is to run an efficient and successful business. With great success comes more opportunity for others to advance. The most critical decisions, as well as the sacrifices you make, will most likely go unnoticed, but you can fully expect to read about your missteps on the front page. You have to be comfortable with everyone not always agreeing or understanding the decisions you make. Know that you’ve made those decisions with integrity and with the best information available at the time. Then, own the outcome.

What local charities or organizations are you involved in?

I have had the opportunity to be involved with some phenomenal organizations in Nevada through Shake Shack giving back, as well as personally working with the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, the Folded Flag Foundation, Three Square/No Kid Hungry and the Xtreme Couture GI Foundation. There are so many great ways to get involved in this community. I also am blessed to be part of the strategy team for the Women’s Ministry at The Church LV. They proudly partner with great organizations all over city — from St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital to Lift One Up to Compassion International.

Where’s your favorite place to explore or people-watch in Las Vegas?

I know it may sound cliché, but when I’m not traveling for work, my husband Ben and I love to sit at the patio at Mon Ami Gabi across from the Bellagio Fountains and watch visitors become enchanted with the city we love.

Have you ever been star-struck?

The restaurant and hospitality business provides many opportunities to meet and engage with celebrities, but it’s all part of the job. That being said: a chance to meet J.J. Watt, Ronda Rousey or Ryan Reaves would be incredible. I’m all about the enforcers.

What is one modern luxury you can’t live without?

How modern are we talking? Running water is an absolute must for this girl. I’m also a huge believer in music being one of the best forms of expression. For that reason, I also absolutely love Apple Music. I travel a lot and often when on the road, I’ll send a song to my daughters or my husband that triggers a memory or lets them know my thoughts are with them when I am away. With Lily now being 17 and Mia now 15, I find that music breaks generational barriers and helps us to connect. With my husband, we both use music as a way to remind each other how much we still love and need each other, even when we can’t be together. These three are my world and the right music makes the rest of life’s noise stop and brings them in to focus.

If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be?

J.J. Watt. This man has a ton of demand for his time and attention, yet sets his celebrity aside to give back to his community. During the floods in Houston, he was not just playing football, but helping his city recover. The J.J. Watt Foundation supports the motto of Dream Big Work Hard, which is something I wholeheartedly endorse. He uses his social media platform to get people across the country to come together during times of need. During Hurricane Harvey, he reached out to raise $200,000 in relief efforts and shortly after, he was able to turn that money into $41.6 million. His profound respect for law enforcement, military, community and his country are noteworthy.

Melinda Gates gets points in my book for her incredible work in philanthropy. She challenges the ceiling on charitable contributions. One of the things I appreciate most is her willingness to admit missteps and lessons learned throughout her career. She is one of the most powerful women in the world and her foundation just continuously gives — we’re talking billions.

Lastly, I think it would be incredible to pick the brain of Doctors Without Borders’ Joanne Lui. She is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and a professor of clinical medicine. The organization she oversees provides aid to more than 60 countries. They have a strong focus on helping the lives of those who are threatened by extreme violence, lack of nutrition or access to modern health care.

All three are incredibly different with very minimal similarities, but still are committed to working for something bigger than themselves. I feel I would leave dinner both educated on multiple perspectives but also inspired by common goals.

What is something that people might not know about you?

I am a jail/prison chaplin and have spent some of my best time as a motivational speaker. Each month, I go down to the local facilities here and motivate and mentor women who are in need of some redirection or inspiration. By sharing my own faults, insecurities and misguided decisions, I find that truth and vulnerability are effective instruments when trying to break through the walls some keep around their hearts. I have met some truly talented and incredible women who have been through unimaginable circumstances. These experiences remind me to leave judgment for someone greater and to humble myself. Everyone has a story that has helped to shape the way they think and feel. If they don’t have enough of faith for themselves, these ladies are welcome to borrow mine.

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