This is part of the VKZ Teen Career Advice series, which includes an actress and writer, zookeeper, AV tech guru, NEAT Services and a marketing director at the YMCA and magician Adam London to share how they overcame obstacles and pursued their magic dreams. This is a spinoff of the VKZ Teen Spotlight featuring young entrepreneurs, leaders or influencers in their community.
I was thrilled when local Award-Winning Restaurant Owner & Operator, Karrie Hung, agreed to be a part of the VKZ Teen Carer Advice Series. She is a longtime local who is a strong community leader. She has more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant and hotel business. Her most recent restaurant opening is Taste of Asia at the Suncoast, bringing her signature dishes, lunch specials, and delicious dim sum for her many loyal local customers to enjoy.
Education in Connecting with People
She began her career as a Management Trainee at Hotel Ferienart Wallisserhof in Switzerland. When she arrived in the United States in the ‘90s, she served in management positions at fine dining restaurants such as Royal Star at Venetian, Jasmine at Bellagio, and Ping Pang Pong and Noodle Exchange at Gold Coast Hotel. As Owner/Operator of Noodle Asia at Venetian, she recently celebrated 23 years in business.
Karrie graduated from Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland with an Associate Degree of Science in Hospitality Management UNLV with a BS in Hotel Administration.
The many years of formal education and preparing for opportunities assisted in opening doors, but she learned early on that creating a connection with people and a strong work ethic were the keys to a successful business.
Learning the Value of a Strong Work Ethic Early
From a young age, her mother encouraged her to not only get a job but understand what goes into a job and how people earn their living.
“I didn’t like it at first but I’m glad she pushed me to work,” Mrs. Hung said. “You respect people more. At 15, I saw other kids going and having fun on the weekend and I had to go to work. But you learn how adults earn money and how hard they work.”
That first job as a cashier ringing up orders for fast food at a small business taught her more than she expected.
“Order by order, $10 or $15, I saw how it can add up, and that can mean a lot to a small business,” she said. “You really get a feel of how business works and what your contribution, however small, means to the whole business. You realize you have to put in hard work to make a living and you have an appreciation for what people do to earn a living.”
“It changed my perspective and made me a lot humbler,” she said. “You have to be there and work at it to understand.
Connecting to What Matters
That first simple position was an education that would take her to incredible opportunities at top universities and eventually to one of the most competitive restaurant cities in the world.
After decades in the restaurant business, it’s the people behind the counter and at each table that inspire her.
“I like the connection to people,” she said. “You have to enjoy hospitality. It’s not for everybody. You have to make a connection to the customer, to your team members. You are making a difference in their life, every day.”
Aside from the loyal customers who have frequented her restaurants for more than two decades, Hung’s employees have felt the connection as well.
“We have employees who have been with us since day one at the Noodle Asia restaurant,” she said. “We treat them right and like a family. When they are first hired, we say welcome to our big working family. We still have that 1:1 between management and employees. We always want to take care of them.”
Best Advice for Teens
“You have to start somewhere and do the best that you can even for the smallest task,” she said. “Don’t just do what people ask. Do more. Think like the owner. What would you do if you were the owner? What needs to be done before they ask?”
As a new assistant manager at a high-end restaurant in Las Vegas, she didn’t have an office, so she bought a desk, printer and a few needed supplies to make a difference in the position she was hired into. She wrote a welcome letter for employees and made other small changes that had a large impact on how the business operated. Her supervisors were impressed.
“Think ahead,” she said. “They didn’t ask me to do that, but I did it. Put in your dedication. If you’re scheduled to work for 8 hours, how do you maximize those 8 hours? You are going to spend 8 hours there anyway. Consider how can I challenge myself to do better than yesterday.”
Looking at your job as more than a series of tasks but as a learning environment and space to grow your skills is more of a mindset.
“If teens can understand, even for just a small task, how they can do that task better today than yesterday, that can be a life-changing event,” she said. “Even repeating tasks, you can find a way to make it more efficient or teach other people this way is better.”
Of the top three skills she feels helped her get to where she is today, she says, patience, passion, and the value of human connection.
More than anything, keeping calm and working to find a solution rather than a reaction has been helpful, either as an employee or as the commander of your team.
“You have to be a problem solver,” she says. “I’m always very solution driven. Things come up every day. You must be very calm and find a solution. I never get angry or yell at my employee. That doesn’t help. I look into the situation and see what I can do to find the best result that will be a win-win for each side. That’s the solution I’m looking for. When you are calm you set the tone and they will be calm, too.”