New job jitters only multiply if the day goes sideways, an unfortunate lesson Kelly Metras learned on her first day in the food industry. She started as a waitress at seventeen and found herself grossly underprepared. “Thrown to the wolves,” is how she remembers it. Being a server means managing a thousand different tasks all at once, and that first shift was a disaster. “I forgot items, I didn’t know the menu, I dropped things.” The night culminated with a visit from her parents, where her dad scolded another customer for criticizing his daughter’s performance. When it was over, her parents tried to put a positive spin on it, telling her “At least you know what you WON’T be doing for the rest of your life.”
Seeing Metras today is to witness how far she’s come. Kelly and her husband, Aaron, are the owners of Salena’s Mexican Restaurant, which they purchased in 2011. Metras started there as a waitress in 1999, moving past her traumatic start to see the benefits of the industry—notably, the flexibility that allowed her to pursue other goals: a master’s degree, travel, and accommodating her growing family. She and Aaron tossed around the idea of someday owning a business together, though they weren’t sure what kind. Enter Salena’s previous owner, who approached them about purchasing the restaurant. Kelly and Aaron certainly had the experience: Between the two of them, they performed every job on-site, from dishwashing to managing. They also knew the place so well that they had a clear vision of what the business could be. After much thought, they agreed to take it on.
There were challenges, as the duo learned right away that despite their experience, being an owner was one job they’d never done; the thousands of tasks they once managed as servers grew exponentially. There were now administrative concerns: payroll, accounts payable, taxes, health code compliance. There was the food itself—implementing recipes and ordering food and supplies. They also had to think about public relations, advertising, and the guests’ overall experience. Human resources was a big one: not only hiring and firing employees but switching gears with the staff, “who were coworkers and friends the day before,” but whose well-being was now their responsibility. There is a whole list of behind-the-scenes tasks that fall on the shoulders of the owner, and, according to Metras, figuring it all out is nonnegotiable: “[Owners] don’t get to quit when they’re overwhelmed.”
In a serendipitous twist, Metras found that her background in special education was applicable in the restaurant industry. Before the couple purchased the restaurant, Kelly was a special education teacher at Hillside, and Aaron worked in the developmental disability field. Once she switched industries, Metras quickly noticed the similarities, as both are “all about people and getting them what they want and need.” This realization shaped how she moved forward. Once they settled in at Salena’s, Metras and her husband expanded their reach, opening and managing Nox from 2014 to 2023; RYCE, a nonprofit restaurant with high school students from 2015 to 2017; and Salena’s Taqueria from 2021 to 2022.
As she moved through the restaurant world, Metras noticed a need for community and camaraderie among other women in business. She and friend Kelly Bush would get together to swap stories and talk through the challenges of owning a restaurant; one of the topics they covered was discrimination against women in business, something they both encountered. Metras also found for herself that once she became an owner, people treated her differently. Most people wanted her to do what was best for them, without acknowledging all the decisions and stresses she faced. While it did strain or even sever certain relationships, it also revealed to Metras who in her life was truly supportive. No matter what the issues were, both found that the venting sessions left them refreshed and empowered to handle their daily challenges, and they wanted to share this. A happy hour started things off, and with the successful turnout of many local business owners, they knew they were onto something. BOSSY officially started in 2014, with more structured meet-ups to support local business women. There are monthly meetings, workshops, and seminars, and Getting real with BOSSY, the podcast, is now in its third season. Described by Metras as “real, honest, and raw,” the podcast was started in hopes of growing its audience to all business women who need help.
Metras’s newest undertaking is in the theater world. She recently began to work part time as the marketing and fundraising director at A Magical Journey Through Stages, a non-profit youth performing arts theater in Rochester. Metras was introduced through her children; she has four daughters, ages 8-16, who are heavily involved in the theater. Metras took to the theater world easily, finding it has much in common with restaurant ownership.
In all these different ventures, Metras maintains focus on her marriage and children, whose support is essential. While her goal is always to make a difference in the community, “My ideas are often outrageous,” she admits. But her husband is “ridiculously supportive.” Even so, she only takes on a project if the schedule accommodates the needs of her family.
The consideration of everyone’s needs is what has shaped Metras’s impressive rise in Rochester business. Whether it’s in the community at large or working person to person, when she sees a need, she uses her strengths and talents to get it met. She’s established herself as someone who rises to whatever challenge lay ahead.
Metras is far removed from that first day on the job, where she made her debut as “Friendly’s worst waitress.” In fact, when she thinks about the longevity she’s had despite such a dreadful start, she says, “I look back and chuckle.” On that day, neither she nor her parents had any idea she’d become one of Rochester’s entrepreneurial stalwarts. For Metras, she stays grounded with the same formula: Keep people at the center and remember, “we all need something.”
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of (585).
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