How an Army Veteran Became a Chick-fil-A Operator

Leaving the military doesn't always go according to plan. You may think you know what your next career will look like, only to have an opportunity, a setback, or a major life change send you in a completely different direction.

In this episode, I talk with Army veteran and Chick-fil-A Operator Jon Harmeling about his unexpected path out of the military, the five-year process that eventually led him to running a restaurant, and what he has learned about leading a civilian team. We also talk about how he is using AI to take repetitive administrative work off his plate, freeing up time to focus on his people.

Jon is a West Point graduate who deployed to Afghanistan and later returned to West Point as an instructor in the Department of Systems Engineering. Today, he leads a team of nearly 90 people at his Chick-fil-A restaurant in Miami Shores and speaks about AI, leadership, and how businesses with hourly teams can use technology without losing the human side of the work.

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