Joey Peña

Joey Peña is a San Diego-made man of many talents who lives by the concept of "building your own dreams; if not, someone will hire you to build theirs." Joey has always been drawn to a continuously evolving environment, and that's precisely what he implements into his ever-changing career. With a goal of taking a huge company and morphing it into the feeling of a family, the restaurant industry chose him for a reason. Joey started his career moves in the clothing industry, it was his goal to work for a brand known worldwide, and he did just that, acquiring a position at Quicksilver and quickly realizing how much it didn't fit his long-term goals. "I could not stand being in corporate America; I hated simply being a number." At that moment, he left his high-paying job to return to his roots and fall back on the environment he used to love and feel comfortable in, the service industry.

He began his journey back into hospitality as a busser and continued to move up the ladder for Enlighten Hospitality under James Brennan & Brian Malarkey with Sear Sucker and Herringbone. "I've always enjoyed the social aspect, the people, the ambiance; it was invigorating for me" Joey loved the freedom but still had an underlying feeling of being stuck. He decided it was time to change his mindset on what he wanted to do with his life. At this time, he took an opportunity for a friend who was opening a restaurant that was partnering with Jimmy Langley. That concept was called Wokou, and this is where his initial introduction to Empress Restaurant Group emerged in 2015. After being the face of the business at Wokou, holding the General Manager title for two years, they had an opportunity to expand and other locations were in the works. After two years of Wokou, the team started receiving offers to come and consult, and Joey was running that consulting process. It was quickly after that Joey began creating restaurant business plans, opening new concepts, and overall making a name for himself within the San Diego hospitality business, earning his title of Chief Operating Officer of Empress Family of Restaurants. Joey prides himself in his hard work, dedication, and loyalty traits, which are prominent throughout his work-life balance.