Meet Angela Shepherd of Skippy’s Grille and Cantina in Queen Creek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Shepherd.

Angela, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started in the restaurant business at a young age, as my parents always ran a restaurant and my brother and I would be there before and after school on most days. We would always help out, as we got older, they would allow us to work with them. I have worked with both of my parents at their restaurants on and off for the last 30 years. About six years ago, my brother and I bought out my dad’s partner at Skippy’s to become 1st-time owners of a restaurant.

One of the greatest things that I’ve been able to do is work with teenagers and young adults, to instill in them a strong work ethic and good job skills to help them get through college debt-free. I think it’s important to allow our youth to experience hard work, social skills, and budgeting skills through our small businesses. My own children have benefited from these very experiences, allowing them to fund their own activities and pay for their own cars and learn to budget their own money. I also have a huge passion for delicious foods that taste good and are healthy for the body. We also love those good hearty home-cooked classic meals that our parents and grandparents used to make.

Has it been a smooth road?
Owning a business isn’t always smooth, now my husband and I own three small businesses, and there is always a learning curve with each one. We always strive to do our best and always try to stay current with technology and trends. However, there are often cases where people quit or surprises arise and that at times can be very stressful, particularly if you’re shorthanded or if equipment goes out.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Skippy’s Grille and Cantina story. Tell us more about the business.
Skippy’s is a unique place if you recall the TV show “Cheers, Where everyone knows your name,” that is Skippy’s! On most days I can introduce a new customer to every guest in the restaurant. Our clientele is very tight with the community, we hold fundraisers for people struggling in the community, whether it’s from cancer, death, or any other type of tragedy.

We keep in close contact with our elderly clients to make sure they are safe and check in with them when we don’t see them make sure they are ok. We work with many of the other businesses in the community to help our schools and our special needs children and adults. So we don’t just provide delicious food and drink, but a friendly atmosphere for those that love a tight community. Another talent we have is catering for any event like weddings, baby showers, and other social events.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
What does the world look like in 5-10 years? With technology and trends moving so fast, it is hard to keep up sometimes. I see us continuing to provide a great social atmosphere that appeals to all ages, and I’m sure there will be new food trends and technologies that we’ll have to change to keep up, but the main focus is great friends and great food and drink!

Contact Info:

• Address: 23858 S Power Rd #101
  Queen Creek, AZ 85142
• Website: skippysgrilleandcantina.com
• Phone: 4809885466
• Email: angie@skippysgrilleandcantina.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skippysgrill/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/skippys.grill.7

Image Credit:
Deb Schmidt, 3 generations of cooks.

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