I believe that great leaders lead by example. That’s why most days you’ll find me in one of our restaurants encouraging our staff and sharing with our managers our ever-growing standards of superior service. When your employees know how much you care, it imparts a level of pride and sense of ownership that encourages them to see LaTrelle’s as a family business where they are very much a part of the family.
STRETCHING THE LIMITS
Wally James
Chief Operating Officer
With more than 30 years of restaurant experience, Wally James knows a thing or two about what makes a restaurant a complete success. A firm believer that great brands are led by great operators, Wally strives to instill this philosophy into all LaTrelle’s employees. He first honed his knowledge of restaurant and food service management at the University of Houston’s Hilton School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. In 1985, his father recruited him to share his expertise with the family’s flourishing restaurant business in the William P. Hobby Airport. Since then, Wally has been actively involved with the general operations of all LaTrelle’s restaurants, including the training and evaluation of management, profit and loss analysis and development of new sites. He lives by the principle that consistently great operations drive sales and profits, and LaTrelle’s continued success bears evidence to this truth.
Wally JamesFast Facts About
- Implemented McDonald's first drive-thru system in Houston, TX
- Board President Wendy’s Houston DMA
- Serves on the Board of Directors for Bread of Life at St. John's Methodist Church, a ministry that feeds hundreds of Houstonians in need
- Serves on Welcoming Committee for Houston's First Baptist Church
- Appointed to the Houston Small Business Development Corporation Board by then Mayor Kathy Whitmire, and remained in service through Mayor Lee P. Brown’s administration
- Active member of the Houston Restaurant Association
- Active member of the National Restaurant Association
