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After attending the New York State Restaurant Association’s Women in Hospitality Conference, Kate Loftus reflects on leadership, knowing your worth, and building a career—and life—that can grow together.
Hospitality has always been an industry powered by people who know how to adapt.
A slow morning can turn into a packed dining room. A staffing gap can become a team-building moment. A career path can shift, expand, and become something entirely different than expected.
That spirit was front and center at the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) Women in Hospitality Conference, a full-day event in New York City focused on mentorship, professional development, networking, and growth for women across the restaurant and hospitality industry.
The day also honored NYSRA’s 2026 10 Women to Watch, a group of restaurant, beverage, culinary, nonprofit, and hospitality leaders including Leslie Abbey of Hot Bread Kitchen, Giorgia Caporuscio of Don Antonio, Casey Carroll of Coray Kitchen, Clodagh Culkin of Odd Sister, Regina Migliucci-Delfino of Mario’s Restaurant, Joelle Ferentinos of Blue Cottage Kitchen, Danielle Mercuri of Rise N Shine Diner, Sasha Pardy of Adirondack Winery and Extreme Heights Cidery, Amy Racine of JF Restaurants, and Amanda Signorelli of Golden Steer.
For SpotOn’s Kate Loftus, the event was less about defining success through one narrow lens and more about hearing how different hospitality leaders built careers that actually fit the lives they wanted to lead.
“One of my biggest takeaways was that the most successful women didn’t separate their careers from their lives—they integrated them,” Kate says. “Many of them created the opportunities and positions they now hold rather than waiting for someone else to define a path for them.”
That idea stuck with her.
In hospitality, there is rarely one straight path forward. The restaurant industry is full of people who learn by doing, grow by solving problems in real time, and often step into roles before there is a perfect blueprint. The women Kate heard from weren’t waiting for permission. They were building teams, shaping roles, and making room for the kind of leadership they wanted to see.
Women in hospitality are shaping what leadership looks like
 A crowded seminar room at the NYSRA Women in Hospitality event on June 1, featuring a panel discussion moderated by Kate Loftus.
Kate’s reflections come at a meaningful moment for women in restaurant leadership.
According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2026 Restaurant Owner Demographics report, one-half of restaurant firms are at least 50% owned by women. At the same time, industry conversations continue to focus on how women restaurant leaders are pushing hospitality toward more inclusive, sustainable, and people-centered workplaces.
That broader shift has shown up in how women in restaurants are advocating for more inclusive and sustainable work environments, and in women-led kitchens that are redefining high-level culinary leadership through trust, communication, and collaboration.
For Kate, those themes showed up in the stories, advice, and lived experience of the women in the room.
Leadership doesn’t have one style
Another conversation that stayed with Kate focused on leadership style.
Several speakers talked openly about the traits they had learned from male colleagues and mentors: confidence, directness, and decisive action. But they also emphasized the value of emotional intelligence, collaboration, and relationship-building.
The strongest hospitality leaders, Kate says, are not choosing one approach over the other.
“There was a real consensus that great leadership draws from both,” she says. “Confidence and decisiveness matter, but so do empathy, collaboration, and the ability to build trust.”
For an industry built on service, that balance feels especially important.
Restaurants move quickly. Decisions have to be made at the moment. But the work is also deeply human. The best leaders know how to move with urgency while still creating an environment where people feel seen, supported, and motivated to do their best work.
That was one of the biggest throughlines of the day: strong leadership is not about being the loudest voice in the room. It is about building teams that can thrive.
Knowing your worth
The conference also made space for a conversation many professionals, especially women, are still learning to approach with confidence: compensation.
Multiple panelists spoke about the importance of understanding market value before entering a negotiation. Too often, Kate heard, women may accept the first number offered or anchor too low without realizing the role may have been valued more highly.
The advice was practical: do the research, understand the market, and enter conversations with a clear sense of the value you bring.
“Knowing your worth came up again and again,” Kate says. “It’s not just about asking for more. It’s about understanding the value of the role, the value of your experience, and the value of what you bring to a team.”
In an industry where people often rise by saying yes, jumping in, and figuring it out, that reminder matters. Hard work and humility can open doors. But so can clarity, preparation, and the confidence to advocate for yourself.
 The SpotOn booth featuring brand representatives demonstrating restaurant POS technology.
A conversation about people, not just women
What stood out most to Kate was that the event did not frame success as something limited to women supporting women in isolation.
The conversation was bigger than that.
“None of the speakers made their success solely about being women,” Kate says. “The conversation centered on people, leadership, building strong teams, and creating environments where talented individuals can thrive regardless of gender.”
That distinction felt meaningful.
Yes, the room was focused on women in hospitality. But the lessons were universal: build strong teams. Make space for different leadership styles. Understand your value. Take care of yourself. Create work environments where people can grow.
For Kate, that made the event feel both personal and practical. It was a reminder that supporting women in hospitality is not separate from strengthening the restaurant industry. It is part of the same work.
Sustainability starts with the leader
The final theme that stayed with Kate was one that can be easy to overlook in a fast-moving industry: personal sustainability.
Several speakers talked about health, hormones, energy, and the daily routines that help them lead well over time. As their careers grew, many said they became more intentional about taking care of themselves first.
That looked different for everyone. For some, it meant exercise. For others, a slower morning routine, quiet time, or simply creating space before the workday begins.
The common thread was clear: protecting your energy is not selfish. It is part of being an effective leader.
“As their careers grew, these women became more intentional about taking care of themselves first,” Kate says. “They recognized that protecting their energy ultimately made them better leaders and decision-makers.”
That message also reflects a larger workplace conversation. The McKinsey and LeanIn.Org Women in the Workplace 2025 report found that senior-level women report high levels of burnout, reinforcing the importance of building careers, teams, and workplaces that are sustainable for the long term.
In hospitality, where so much of the work is about showing up for other people, that message hit home. Long-term success requires more than ambition. It requires a life that can support the work, not compete with it.
Building what comes next
Kate left the conference with a renewed appreciation for the leaders shaping hospitality from the inside out.
The event reinforced that success is not about following a single path. It is about understanding your value, building strong teams, finding balance, and creating opportunities instead of waiting for someone else to define them.
It is also about recognizing that leadership is not one-size-fits-all. The best leaders can be decisive and empathetic. Direct and collaborative. Ambitious and grounded. Focused on results and committed to the people who make those results possible.
As a partner to the New York State Restaurant Association, SpotOn is proud to support the operators, teams, and industry leaders helping restaurants thrive. Through resources like the NYSRA SpotOn Technology Library and SpotOn’s restaurant management system, we work alongside hospitality professionals who are building stronger businesses and stronger teams every day.
For Kate, the day was a reminder of what makes hospitality so powerful in the first place: the people.
“Long-term success comes from understanding your value, building strong teams, maintaining balance, and creating a life that supports your work rather than competing with it,” she says.
And for the women helping shape the future of hospitality, that may be the most important lesson of all.
Explore more stories from the #SpotOnFamily.
Kate Loftus Bio
Kate Loftus is a hospitality sales professional with a background in restaurant operations, people strategy, and business development. She currently works with SpotOn, partnering with restaurants across Manhattan to help operators modernize their technology, streamline service, and support growth. Prior to SpotOn, Kate worked in hospitality leadership and operations with Pomo Restaurant Group and IGC Hospitality, giving her a strong understanding of the day-to-day realities restaurant teams face.
With experience across sales, operations, and hospitality culture, Kate brings a practical, people-first perspective to conversations around leadership, growth, and the evolving restaurant industry.
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