Story by Liesel Schmidt | Portrait by Jonathan Thorpe
The restaurant business is not an industry for the faint of heart, and as the director of operations and managing partner for her family’s business, HomeGrown Restaurant Group, Danielle Anderson proves her mettle daily. In her oversight of all six restaurants owned by the group, the bulk of Anderson's time is spent coaching the general managers of each location. “I love watching them grow!” says Anderson, who was inducted into the Chamber’s 40 under 40 class in 2022. “Some days, I’m giving them management style advice. Some days, I’m helping them mop the floor. Whatever I can do to make their job easier, I’m going to do that for them.”
"It’s incredibly important for women to support other women in becoming greater advocates for their own health."
- Danielle
Regardless of what her day involves, her focus is always the same: “It’s important that I make sure every customer that comes into one of our restaurants is given the best experience we can give them,” she says. “Being able to share a birthday, anniversary or special occasion with a guest makes me very happy!”
Giving back to the Alexandria community is another focus for Anderson. “As a company, we spend a lot of time working with ALIVE! and Carpenter’s Shelter,” she says. “Both do a lot for our community, and we want to support their work.”