Home Life Style I’m 21 and run my own restaurant while studying for my degree – but some customers look down on me because of my age

I’m 21 and run my own restaurant while studying for my degree – but some customers look down on me because of my age

by Merry
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Olivia Hughes owns her own restaurant at just 21 years old after starting the business when she was 18 (pictured inside the restaurant)

A business-minded college student proves people wrong by owning her own restaurant at just 21 years old.

Olivia Hughes started her business when she was 18 years old by opening a small cafe called The Hungry Goat in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

He eventually turned it into a fully functioning restaurant with more than 20 employees.

The young entrepreneur is also finishing a bachelor’s degree in business administration while running her busy restaurant, which takes up 70 to 80 hours of her time each week.

However, the young business owner admits that she has had to work harder to prove herself because of her age.

Olivia Hughes owns her own restaurant at just 21 years old after starting the business when she was 18 (pictured inside the restaurant)

Olivia decided to set up The Hungry Goat in Northern Ireland after being rejected from several jobs in a cafe.

Olivia decided to set up The Hungry Goat in Northern Ireland after being rejected from several jobs in a cafe.

Olivia said: ‘There have been many challenges due to my age, such as trying to gain respect and problems with older staff. So we’ve had a pretty bumpy road to get to this point.

“My mindset has definitely helped me do this at a young age and I’ve been able to block out any negativity, especially when it comes to my age as people have a lot to say because I’m so young.”

When Olivia was 18, she had difficulty getting a job and after several interviews in cafes where she was told she didn’t have enough experience. She then decided to open her own coffee shop.

He created The Hungry Goat in 2020 at just 18 years old and his business began to attract a lot of attention and became a busy local hotspot.

Olivia’s coffee shop was thriving in the summer, but she noticed business started to drop when winter hit and decided to turn things around and move to a restaurant in 2021.

Now, Hungry Goat specializes in food, including meat and cooked breakfasts, and customers can even relax with a pint in the bar.

For starters, she found that some staff and customers treated her differently and were often rude or condescending because of her age.

She often found it difficult to manage certain members of staff or customers who “looked down on” the 21-year-old.

The young entrepreneur combines being the owner of her restaurant with her degree in business management

The young entrepreneur combines being the owner of her restaurant with her degree in business management

She said many people have doubted her because of her age, but she is proving them all wrong.

She said many people have doubted her because of her age, but she is proving them all wrong.

The Hungry Goat (pictured) has quickly become a busy local hotspot

The Hungry Goat (pictured) has quickly become a busy local spot

The restaurant has already been awarded two and a half years after its first opening.

Cocktails in the restaurant

The restaurant has already been awarded two and a half years after its first opening.

However, Olivia eventually managed to build a great team of over 20 employees ranging in age from 16 to 62, who she says have been amazing.

And two and a half years after running his restaurant, he managed to win the title of Best New Artist at the Irish Restaurant Awards.

Olivia says the restaurant is often full of hungry customers, which certainly keeps her busy, in addition to her college course.

While running the restaurant, Olivia is also studying for a degree in business administration and has to juggle college work on top of owning The Hungry Goat.

However, he loved the whole process and thoroughly enjoyed being able to prove the skeptics wrong.

She said: ‘I was applying for jobs and got nowhere because I kept getting turned down for not having experience.

‘I did a trial run at a local coffee shop and loved everything. It was totally something I could see myself doing in the future but, again, I didn’t get the job.

‘I got some business loans, which were hard to get, and then I started working on setting up my own cafe, called The Hungry Goat, and then we opened it to the public in August 2020.

The Hungry Goat is open Thursday through Sunday and has 4.8 stars on Google

The Hungry Goat is open Thursday through Sunday and has 4.8 stars on Google

Olivia appears in the photo in her work uniform standing next to the bar.

Olivia appears in the photo in her work uniform standing next to the bar.

The outdoor seating area at The Hungry Goat, which has over 20 staff members.

The outdoor seating area at The Hungry Goat, which has over 20 staff members.

The success of the restaurant is due to the fact that it is very busy, since Olivia has to dedicate between 70 and 80 hours to it each week.

The success of the restaurant is due to the fact that it is very busy, since Olivia has to dedicate between 70 and 80 hours to it each week.

Olivia at the restaurant when they decorated it for Christmas.

Olivia at the restaurant when they decorated it for Christmas.

Olivia had to think beyond a cafe when her customers started wanting food and she reopened The Hungry Goat as a restaurant.

Olivia had to think beyond a cafe when her customers started wanting food and she reopened The Hungry Goat as a restaurant.

Olivia (pictured getting ready for a day of work at the restaurant) hopes her big commitment will pay off.

Olivia (pictured getting ready for a day of work at the restaurant) hopes her big commitment will pay off.

‘Because my business is in such a rural area, I realized that it wasn’t going to be sustainable to simply open a cafe and many customers ordered food items such as breakfast and lunch.

‘I got a chef to help me open a kitchen because that was completely out of my reach and I knew it was something I couldn’t solve on my own because I wanted it to be right.

‘My mom and dad have been business owners in the past. So I’ve had great aspirations to admire myself, I’m very hard-working and dedicated when it comes to something I really want to do.’

The Hungry Goat is open Thursday through Sunday and has a 4.8 star rating on Google.

Olivia explained: “It’s definitely been hard to gain the respect of some clients too, being so young, as sometimes they weren’t necessarily happy to see someone younger and would completely ignore and belittle me.”

‘These people would look down on me and put me in this box because I’m “too young” and they think they’re better than me. So he was definitely questioned in that way.

‘I could spend 70 to 80 hours a week on this business because I’m there from the time it opens to the time it closes.

‘I have had to sacrifice a lot of time. Many of my friends are between 18 and 20 years old. That seems to be the best moment of your life.

“The most important thing I had to prove was that it is possible for someone my age to do this and hopefully, with all the hard work and sacrifices I have made, it will pay off one day.”

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