Photo by Jon Anderson
Laura Sanchez is the front of house server manager at Diplomat Deli in Vestavia Hills.
Laura Sanchez is the front of house server manager at Diplomat Deli in Vestavia Hills.
Q: How long have you worked here?
A: A year.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your background.
A: I was born in Mexico. I moved to Alabama when I was 7. I’ve been living here quite a while. I’m 33 now. I’ve done restaurants since I graduated high school. I started out back then as a hostess and throughout my career became a restaurant manager. I’ve been in the restaurant business since I was 17.
Q: What do you like about the restaurant business?
A: It’s pretty neat and unique because you get to know a lot of people, a lot of guests. They’re not just guests. They become family, and they become friends.
Q: What other restaurants have you worked in?
A: I worked for Longhorn Steakhouse from when I was 17 until I was 30. I worked at different ones. I was at the one in Inverness. I worked at the one in Tuscaloosa, the one in Oxford, the one in Gadsden — all in different roles. I did three new restaurant openings for them.
Q: What all does being front of house server manager involve?
A: For Diplomat Deli, it involves making sure we’re completely staffed, writing a schedule for the front of the house servers. I also work the cashier role and close down the restaurant.
Q: How much time do you spend here?
A: About 45-50 hours a week.
Q: If you weren’t doing the restaurant business, what do you think you might do?
A: I was going to [go to] college for communications and media and that stuff, but I started working when I was 17, so I didn’t do that. I took another path.
Q: What do you like to do outside of work? What are some of your hobbies?
A: My hobbies are actually just taking care of my two kids. My oldest is 2½ . My youngest is 1½.
Q: What’s the most challenging thing about being a mom?
A: Being able to balance between work and being a mom because sometimes I have to be there, and I have to make sure they’re with their sitter. I have to make sure they have all their needs in order for me to be here at work. I work here six days a week. So to be able to balance my life as a mom with them and be successful here.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: Some of the employees here, they think I’m going to be the one that inherits Diplomat Deli. But they have kids, so I don’t think I would inherit Diplomat Deli, but maybe I see myself keep working for Joseph [Hoskin] and Justin [Gober]. If they were to open a second location, maybe be able to help them make that second location be successful. I don’t know if that’s in their plans.
Q: Do you have anywhere you like to travel?
A: We tend to go to Atlanta a lot of the time when we travel. We like to do the aquarium, go do some shopping.
Q: What are your dreams for your girls?
A: I hope they take a different path than I did, for them to be able to go to college to be successful in whatever career they pick.
Q: Do you live here in Vestavia?
A: I live on Highway 280 in Inverness.
Q: Have you been here in the Birmingham area the whole time?
A: Yes, I went to Oak Mountain schools. I graduated from Oak Mountain High School in 2009. My oldest is part of Vestavia mini-kickers soccer. I started her a little early.
