Vinay Rama — the CEO of Mandala Holdings, which owns Lime Fresh Mexican Grill — has been working in the service industry his whole life.

After years of working in his family’s motel, and even living in it for a time, Rama’s parents sent him to live in India. It was there that he ended up with his first paid job, again working in housekeeping at a hotel.

For Rama, the best part of this new work experience was working with people who did not share his life experiences. It helped him learn how to explain the expectations of customers to people he was working with, a skill that would serve him well when training future employees.

After leaving India, Rama came back to the U.S. to further his education and eventually open Mandala Holdings, a hospitality investment platform that operates hotels and motels around Florida.

His business acumen then led to a friend approaching him about buying into Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. He was happy with the opportunity and decided to bite.

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