ROSEVILLE, Mich. (WSVN) — A Michigan woman has worked her way up to the top spot at a restaurant chain she began working at as a server.
According to Fox 2, Gretta Jackson started as a part-time server at an Outback Steakhouse in Southfield, Michigan, nearly 20 years ago.
She was in her first semester of college at the time and had just given birth to her daughter, Ashley.
“I made these decisions and choices and have to live with them, but how, at 18, am I going to pull this off?” she said.
She decided to take a second job at the restaurant to make some extra money.
Now, after nearly two decades of hard work, she owns an Outback restaurant in Roseville, Michigan.
“Don’t let other people tell you what you can’t do because of your situation. Show them what you can do in spite of your situation,” Jackson told Fox 2.
Jackson is the first Black woman in the Detroit area to own her own location. She shared the news on Facebook, which then went on to inspire others.
“You don’t have to make it in the history books in order to make Black history,” she said.
“What started off as what I thought was just a simple post to celebrate a milestone in my life quickly turned into something else,” Jackson said. “I could never imagined so many people would come to say hi and thank you and congratulations to me in person. I’ve had people send gifts, flowers, Edible Arrangements to the restaurant for me. Just an overwhelming amount of love and support.”
She also said she is hearing from other Black women working to succeed and how she has become a beacon of hope.
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