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Cameron Mitchell
Cameron Mitchell
00:51

Cameron Mitchell

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants

Columbus, OH USA

"One step in front of the other. You’re trying to build a career and a lifetime, and it’s done one brick at a time. There’s no other way to do it."

Career Roadmap

Cameron's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Food, and Accomplishing Goals

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Day In The Life

Founder & CEO

I empower our 6,000 associates and guide our national restaurant brand's growth and resilience.

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Day In The Life Of A President Of A Restaurant Company

My Day to Day

As CEO and founder, my days revolve around our team of nearly 6,000 associates. I lead, empower, and care for each member who, in turn, drives our company forward. From the early struggles of launching our first restaurants to now overseeing a national chain, my role has evolved. I spend my time nurturing our culture, teaching, and ensuring our collective effort continues smoothly. Every day is about pushing forward, overcoming setbacks, and ensuring we all rise together in this journey.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

There have been naysayers all along my path as an entrepreneur. Even one of my friends doubted my abilities when I told her I was going to start my own restaurant company. She was right, I didn't know much about starting a restaurant company. However, if you're determined to do something, you can figure out all you need to know about how to do it along the way, which is exactly what I did.

Here's the path I took:

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Culinary Science

    Culinary Institute of America

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.

  • 2.

    I started working in restaurants when I was in high school, starting as a dishwasher at a local steakhouse.

  • 3.

    Upon graduating high school, I realized that I loved working in restaurants and wanted to devote my career to that.

  • 4.

    At age 18, I wrote out my goals and the steps I would need to take to get from culinary school to president of a restaurant company by age 35—then I set myself out on that path.

  • 5.

    While building my career, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to become the president of the restaurant company I was working for, so I began thinking about starting my own restaurant company.

  • 6.

    I left my job and spent 14 months working without a paycheck to try and put my first restaurant together.

  • 7.

    I opened my first restaurant in 1993 at 30 years old—since then, I’ve continued to build Cameron Mitchell Restaurants up and have opened 100 restaurants across the country.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Friends:

    Are you crazy? You don't know anything about starting a restaurant company.

  • How I responded:

    There have been naysayers all along my path as an entrepreneur. Even one of my friends doubted my abilities when I told her I was going to start my own restaurant company. She was right, I didn't know much about starting a restaurant company. However, if you're determined to do something, you can figure out all you need to know about how to do it along the way, which is exactly what I did.