Josh Kalson, Area Director of Shake Shack.When Josh Kalson was just 15, he got his first job in the restaurant business. Even then, he had a passion for the industry, stemming from his love of good food and travel.
During his undergraduate studies at Indiana University, Kalson studied abroad in Australia, exploring the culinary industry there before coming back to the states. Then, he attended graduate school at Johnson and Wales to get his MBA in hospitality management before pursuing a management position with Dave and Busters.
After five years, he sought something different. So he joined forces with Shake Shack, starting out as the assistant general manager of a location in Boca Raton, Fla., before working his way up the ladder to, nearly 9 years later, becoming one of the youngest Area Directors in the company.
As the area director for Shake Shack, Kalson, now 38, oversees operations locations across the Southeast in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, Lexington and St. Louis. He’s opened 14 in his career. More often than not, he can be found with boots on the ground in the restaurants working with the teams, building teams and developing leaders.
Kalson takes a hands-on approach to cultivate relationships with the guests, teams and community, placing special emphasis on uplifting those around him to help shape future leaders.
“It’s not about being a boss, but about being a leader, being a mentor and a coach,” says Kalson.
When he’s not facilitating openings and guiding teams, Kalson works closely with charities like Camp Twin Lakes, Giving Kitchen and Share our Strength, which runs campaigns like No Kid Hungry and Cooking Matters.
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