Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramona Hall.
Hi Ramona, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I got my start when I was working as a lobbyist representing a concessions company out of Atlanta in 2004. We focused on restaurants at airports, and that’s when I fell in love with launching food concepts.
What truly inspired me to launch my own concessions business was the idea of employing people in my community and bringing business to underserved neighborhoods. My core influence was the owner of the concessions company I was lobbying for at the time, Mr. Russel. He was very passionate about investing in his own community by bringing food concepts that they can not only enjoy, but also seek employment opportunities with and grow within the company.
When I first started Phillips Concessions, I was a single mother working my savviness to make connections and build a company that launched some of the most well-known and in-demand F&B concepts in the Downtown Miami area such as Starbucks Chick Fil A, and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Today, Phillips operates locations at Miami International Airport, MiamiCentral in Downtown, and Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business is never a smooth road, but it’s very rewarding. You have to be able to accept that you win some and you lose some, and the most important priority of entrepreneurship is to always bet on yourself. I think something we all struggle with is self-confidence, but you have to stay resilient in the face of adversity.
Every day comes with new challenges – just this past month, we were faced with a worker shortage like many others in the hospitality industry have faced during this time, but we’ve learned to pivot and adapt at times taking unconventional approaches to address our issues.
We’ve been impressed with Phillips Concessions, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Phillips Concessions is a food & beverage company, most commonly known as a concessions business in our industry. We license and operate national and global brands like Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and Einstein Bros. Bagels and exclusively operate these restaurants in train stations, hospitals, airports, and college campuses.
We take pride in our efforts to support the communities our businesses reside in. Our locations are throughout Miami’s urban core, and we work with the surrounding underserved communities and partner with local organizations to provide tools like free personal finance courses to empower folks with financial awareness and the opportunity to achieve financial stability, job fairs, and donate meals to the community and, since the pandemic, first responders.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Pivot, adapt, pivot, adapt. I’m used to pivoting and scaling, but not at the rate that I had to do it because of the pandemic. Every month there was something new, an updated regulation, grim news, and so much uncertainty. I think businesses that we’re able to survive did so because they pivoted and adapted quickly.
One of the first things I did was apply for the SBA loan as soon as it became available. I didn’t second-guess hiring the best accountant and tax law consultant to help me through the process and ensure I was filing the paperwork correctly. I knew that because it was a one-of-a-kind loan, there weren’t preceding laws and regulations on how to properly maneuver a rescue loan of this magnitude, and with things so uncertain, I didn’t hesitate to bring on an experienced team to help me anticipate the right financial moves. As a result, I was granted a second SBA loan, and I was one of the very few businesses that actually opened two new restaurants during the pandemic: Starbucks MiamiCentral and Chick-fil-A MiamiCentral. I was already well into the construction of these two projects when the pandemic hit, so there was no turning back. It was a scary time, but I just kept pushing through.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://phillipsconcessions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillipsconcessions/
