Alexandra Lourdes is the co-founder of Las Vegas-based Refined Hospitality and The Refined Agency. “The Refined Agency, our first and original endeavor, is an interactive marketing company specializing in social media and event management for lifestyle and hospitality concepts. Through the marketing agency, we grew our hospitality group which now has four concepts: Café Lola, Saint Honoré, Pizza Anonymous and our newest 3 Little Chicks.” Learn about Alexandra Lourdes…
Follow at: @alexandra_lourdes (Instagram); @alexandra_lourdes (TikTok)
Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
First job: Car hop at Sonic.
Favorite ways to spend your free time in NV: Spending time with my family, going out to eat at local restaurants.
Your biggest accomplishment and why: Opening seven restaurants in five years. When we opened our first Cafe Lola, we thought that it was a dream come true. We never thought it would lead us down this path of becoming restauranteurs! But I am so proud of how far we’ve come not having previous experience in the restaurant industry. It feels like a dream.
The biggest obstacle you overcame: During 2020, we had to shut down our restaurants because of COVID. Figuring out how to navigate that, coming up with new ideas on the fly and trying to learn a new platform like TikTok to get the word out about our restaurants was so stressful and challenging, but we made it through! We developed new items that people could celebrate at home. We started doing preorders and online ordering, and the community really supported us. It was amazing to see!
Someone who inspires you and why: My mom. As a single mom of three, she worked so hard to push me to be who I am. I am who I am because of her constantly pushing me to do my best and giving me the confidence that I can do anything I put my mind to.
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Invest in yourself, learn as much as you can and try to find the gap in the market. When starting out in the restaurant world, the best advice I can give is to figure out what sets you apart from the rest and commit to that.
Favorite quote: I have two. “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally; it comes from what you do consistently.” “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”
Something someone would be surprised to learn about you: I graduated with a degree in art and a PhD in education.
What makes someone fabulous: Their heart.