YOLO Spotlight-Christy Hayes of Mojo’s and Kitchen 428!
Welcome once again to YOLO Spotlight! This month we are focusing on women small business owners to highlight Women’s History Month. Luckily, we were able to interview/photograph Christy Hayes, owner of Mojo’s and Kitchen 428, entrepreneur, veteran, and benevolent community member.
Christy’s vivacious smile was easy to capture in photos and we noticed that her eyes sparkled with humor even during serious moments. She is not used to wearing makeup, but graciously consented so as to undergo the full KLJ Studios experience.
Christy had worked in restaurants starting in high school, working in both the front and the back of the house. It was natural that she would get a job bartending at Morrison’s when she came to Woodland, eventually becoming a part owner and then the owner in 2012. During her “free” time (yeah, right!), she went to UC Davis for two quarters anticipating becoming a veterinarian, and then switched to Sac State to eventually complete a degree in Public Relations and Event Coordinating. It was a big leap from employee to owner and she learned much of the business on the fly. Event coordination continues to be a passion for her.
One of the hardest aspects of the restaurant business is providing consistency, Christy says. There are so many moving parts between the food and the service you can never relax and you must always be on your toes. And consistency is the key to good customer service.
The pandemic has certainly changed things. As her staff receives their vaccines, Christy anticipates gradually re-opening for lunches in April, extending their hours, and, finally, the re-opening of the bar section of the business.
FUN FACT #:
Christy signed up for the Air Force while just graduating high school in the Morro Bay area. As a diesel mechanic she worked her way from Dover Air Force Base to Fairbanks and ending up in Fairfield at Travis. As a member of the Air Force Reserves she needed to live within 100 miles of Fairfield and chose Woodland to settle down.
FUN FACT #2:
During her down time, Christy enjoys watching TikTok videos. She finds she can even keep up with the news this way. She is also looking forward to gardening as the weather turns nice. And she loves every opportunity to hang with her dogs.
FUN FACT #3:
Christy buys all of her clothes, and many other items, at thrift stores. Her wardrobe is pretty cool and so are the decorating touches she incorporated in the décor of the restaurant, which, if not a thrift item, was probably bought at a low cost auction.
WHAT’S GOING ON AT KITCHEN 428?
1. Sadly, business is down 70% this year for obvious reasons, but Christy has implemented several fun weeks, with other local restaurants, that have helped keep them going. Who didn’t love Harry Potter Week? Or County Fair Week? Or the recent Amusement Park Week? We can thank her degree in Event Coordinating and just some great creativity for these much needed distractions during the past few months.
2. Her hours are spent differently now, of course. There’s more stress, more exhaustion, and she spends much more time bartending (cocktails available for takeout, folks!) and taking orders. Before, she spent a lot of her time in meetings, office management and attending events. So when you order take out, remember to take advantage of her bartending expertise and order cocktails to go!
3. Christy predicts it may be a slow, yearlong rebuilding period. But as she helped us out with special take home meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day, she is planning another special menu for Easter. And through this all, she has still considered the plight of our veterans and set up a GoFundMe page for the Feed Our Woodland Vets program. This program helps to feed veterans who can’t, or shouldn’t, go out and get their own meals.
Restaurants have been hit hard. But Christy has proven a little creativity, with a big dash of hard work, helps to get through the worst. As they begin to open and rebuild, let’s remember to support them and all of our Woodland eateries. Life would not be as much fun without Prime Rib Wednesdays. (A personal favorite.) Or French Dip Thursdays (another personal favorite.) Or Fish and Chips Fridays. (Seriously, maybe my favorite of the favorites.) Okay, honestly, I just like them all.
I pointed out that growing a successful restaurant is not easy and, even under normal times, restaurants have a high rate of failure. Christy clued me in on “how to make a small fortune from a restaurant. Start with a large fortune.” Easy peasy, right?
Get some takeout from Kitchen 428 and then next month head down in person at 428 1st Street in downtown Woodland. You can phone in your order at 530-661-0428 or just put them on speed dial.
And remember, cocktails to go!
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