Employee Highlight: Mariah
For this week's blog, we wanted to highlight a talented member of our staff, Mariah Thompson!
Mariah is the Office and Event Manager for Zeppoli’s, and her job is crucial for the restaurant to run smoothly. When asked about her day to day work, she says, “A day in the life for me is never the same. I love that part of my job because it keeps it interesting! The first thing I do every morning is check emails. Emails are the main way that I communicate with our customers. I want the emails to feel as personal as possible and I want our customers to know that they can always reach out to me via email, my personal cell phone, or work phone. I also coordinate all our catering pickups and deliveries. I also do a good amount of our office work such as payroll, billing, printing, some marketing, making and editing menus, some scheduling for staff, etc. ”
Mariah is from Blacksburg originally, but graduated from JMU in December of 2020 with a Hospitality Management degree and a General business minor with a concentration in Event Management. We asked her what she loves about working at Zeppoli’s and she said, “I was so glad to have the opportunity to work for a small business in my hometown. I have worked at Zeppoli’s since July 2021 and I learn something new every day. Event Planning is very tedious but I love detail and organization. I am a very inclusive person and I want our customers to feel comfortable and have the best time during their event.”
This year is Mariah’s first spring graduation week, which we all know is a crazy busy time here in Blacksburg, especially for restaurants. When we asked her about how she’s getting ready for grad week, she said, “I am trying to be as prepared as possible. I do have experience working December Graduation though and that was exciting because customers were having private events for Holiday Parties and Graduation Parties.
I am looking forward to the busy week coming up because it is such a milestone for all the graduates and I am happy that I and the Zeppoli’s Team can be a part of it! Graduation week prep includes reservations, menu prep, graduation catering pack pickup times, and getting the staff ready/prepared.”
Mariah says that the most important part of her job is communication and being organized, especially with the small details. If you ever plan an event with Zeppoli’s, we know you’ll have an amazing experience working with Mariah!
