Jill Tyler
Owner & Service Director of Rye Bunny
“We have time set with all of our team to sit down and give them face time. Not necessarily because we have feedback or anything, but to give them time that is scheduled with different members of our leadership team so they know that when we say we're here to listen, we're giving them time to do that.„
Podcast
EP 86: Jill Tyler
Jill Tyler, Owner of Rye Bunny in Washington, DC, went from bartending in high school to opening Michelin-starred Tail Up Goat, but the biggest...
Nov 3, 2026
EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
We try to figure out how to make this place and the team's work as much fun as possible. It's still a job, and I have really exacting standards that I'm gonna hold our team to, but I think listening to the team can create some of our best growth.
My favorite part about what I do is the hospitality moments tableside. It's the coolest thing in the world to create spaces where people celebrate big and little life moments, where people feel a connection and want to return time and time again. It's such a gift.
You can't please everyone. We certainly want to try, but also every restaurant can't be for everybody. That would be really boring if we all liked the exact same things and we all had the same favorites. It would make my job a lot less fun, and it would make the dining scene in DC a lot less fun.
Don't get too elated when someone says something nice, but also don't get too down in the dumps when you get nasty feedback. There's a lot of noise out there.
Our naïveté was probably the greatest blessing we had in opening a restaurant. I had no idea what I didn't know. It was just pure tenacity. I love service, I love people, I love hospitality, so we put all those things together.
A friend told me that the full cycle of a restaurant day is like the full business cycle. You see it in one service. You can very quickly identify problems, and because of how fast it is, you can right the ship without layers and months to change something if it isn't working.
If you're struggling in this industry, find mentors to talk to things about, be it within your restaurant or others, and look for people that want to grow in the same ways
Take advice from others. Don't put your shoulders up at it. Take it, listen to it, and sit with it.
Disclaimer: Individuals featured in the Inspirational Career Timelines section have been nominated by peers, colleagues and/or other members of the hospitality industry. It is to the best of our knowledge that each individual has demonstrated leadership and acted as a positive role model for others.
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