Sunday Special: Family-owned restaurants inspire responsibility

Graphic by Arimeta Diop

Tessa Chambers, Opinion Editor
September 28, 2014

Those who enjoy local restaurant options such as The Shack and Mexican Village may have an appreciation for good food, but more often than not it can be easy to forget about those behind the scenes – the owners, for one. Seniors Shelby Wilhelm and Stephen Bush would have a hard time overlooking that role, however, as for them that forgotten position of owner is a parent of theirs, and the impacts of their hard work has made a permanent change in both individuals.

Bush’s dad, Stephen Bush Sr., is his role model and the owner of Mexican Village, and Wilhelm’s mother, Tanya Bale, the owner of The Shack on Broadway. When their parents asked them to step up and help out with the respective restaurants, each one did so with unexpected results.

Bush first started helping out with Mexican Village in fourth grade, earning a small wage for his time.

“I was proud of earning [money], but really what it was for [was] to feel like I was actually working for something, earning something.” Bush said. “It was more the experience for me than money.”

Similarly, when Wilhelm’s mother purchased The Shack roughly four years ago, the then thirteen-year-old assisted in a “fix-up” and shortly thereafter began working regularly.

“[Working] showed me that to make your money worth more, you must work for it,” Wilhelm said.

Both shared a feeling of connection to these places their parents had put so much energy into, and they themselves have invested time into in order to help things run smoothly. Not only did they feel a connection to the locations, but an admiration for their guardians and the hard work needed to sustain successful business. Bush and Wilhelm respect and admire where their parents’ efforts have brought them in success.

“He’s shown me that if I want to get to where he is, that it’s not going to be easy, and that I’m going to have to give it a lot of time,” Bush said. “I’m willing to give that time, if I can ultimately achieve that goal.”