Carmen Erdle-Ringor received her first hostess paycheck at 16. It was $50, and she was elated. Opening that first paycheck, she didn’t realize that she was simultaneously opening the door to what would become her passion and a whole new world of possibilities. In the front-of-house, Carmen found a natural fit for her “kindness is a superpower” ethos. Beginning as a hostess and server, she quickly learned to work hard and care harder. Faced with unruly guests, exhausted servers, over-extended bussers, she led with empathy — and quickly became Front-of-House Supervisor just two years later.
When the small restaurant was sold to new owners, Carmen transitioned to an Italian spot, Tomatina. It shaped the rest of her career. Despite starting over at a new restaurant, she continued to try on new hats. She was a hostess, a server, a bartender, a FOH supervisor — Carmen was an indispensable force who made herself available wherever she was needed. Over the course of six years, she climbed the ranks and was offered her first opportunity as General Manager.
Managing a restaurant is a masterclass in navigating complexity. Carmen was handed a thick binder of instructions, the keys to the restaurant, and told to have at it. Despite the huge responsibility and new challenges, she quickly thrived in her new role, balancing the behind-the-scenes operations yet still making time to connect with customers.
“Be kind no matter what. You never know what people are going through — and it's almost never about you.”
One experience, in particular, left a lasting impression on her. A customer came in to order takeout, and was impatient and rude to her staff. On the inside, Carmen was angry at him over his behavior, but externally, she stayed polite and put a rush on his order. In the time it took to prepare his order, the customer received a phone call from the hospital letting him know that his ailing wife had just passed away. “Be kind no matter what,” Carmen says, remembering the moment like it was yesterday. “You never know what people are going through--and it's almost never about you.”
One day, still at Tomatina, Carmen was shocked to see her former boss seated in the restaurant. Even more so, she was stunned when he asked her if she had any interest in working with him in the restaurant software industry. He had remembered her work ethic and compassion, and valued her front-of-house perspective.
Carmen leapt towards this new career path. She learned the ins and outs of restaurant tech, understanding both the challenges and the opportunities in a support operations role. She found a work-life balance that was impossible in her front-of-house roles and kept the connection to the industry she held so dear. As much as she loved it, when a paid position opened up at the local non-profit where she was a longtime volunteer, it felt like the right time to deepen her commitment. She took the role as a Peer Leader Project Coordinator supporting at-risk youth.
Carmen returned to restaurant tech in 2024, still herding cats and applying order to chaos, now as office manager of SpotOn’s San Rafael office as part of the People team. She says yes to every possible project: organizing a pumpkin carving competition, welcoming new hires, restocking printer ink, auditing HR workflows, and jumping in as another set of hands in the San Francisco headquarters. Her restaurant days stick with her, especially when she’s out to dinner, trying not to help bussers clear the adjacent table. She remembers what it felt like to be handed instructions and a set of keys. Now she’s part of the onboarding toolkit, a real person and a sounding board for employees who are still learning the ropes and helping restaurant operators face today’s new challenges.
“My experience in hospitality and non-profit work has taught me to adapt quickly,” Carmen says. “And that’s important, because this industry is constantly changing.”
