MELBOURNE, Fla. — This past April, 28 North promoted internally to hire their new General Manager, Mercy Gonzales. Mercy first started at the gastropub in October of 2019 as a second part-time job. She worked her way up from support staff to a serving position before eventually expressing her interest in learning the skills needed for a management position. No stranger to hard work, Mercy even cleaned the restaurant for additional income when it was closed during the pandemic. Her strong drive and work ethic did not go unnoticed by 28 North’s leadership team, and her ultimate goal of becoming General Manager was achieved.
When asked about her journey to General Manager after the pandemic, Mercy stated, “…After things started opening back up, I couldn’t work two jobs anymore, so I chose 28 North. I was receiving so much support towards my personal financial goals, and I expressed my interest in management as that’s always been a goal. So, I began learning MOD responsibilities working with the previous GM to gain experience. Then this current year, in February, I jumped in to assist with more responsibility since we were in need of management. I guess you can say I was the interim. After doing that for a couple of months, I was asked what my new goal was, and I asked to be considered for GM, and here we are!”
Mercy was born in Lubbock, Texas, raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and made her way to Florida in 2006 to raise her family. She lived in the Florida Panhandle for three years prior to moving to the Space Coast. Mercy has four sons named li’l Dennis, Lucian, Dominic, and Darian, and she also has a five-and-a-half-year-old pitbull named Shelby. Her favorite cuisine is authentic Mexican food, particularly the food she was accustomed to eating in Texas and New Mexico, such as hatch green chile, carne asada, green chile enchiladas, sopapillas, and homemade tortillas.