October 11-13
Television viewers may be noticing a new ad for the Red Lobster restaurant chain that features a company staffer by the name of Reza Mortazavi.
Mortazavi is the staffing and training manager at the Red Lobster in Brea, California, just north of Anaheim. He hires all the staff and trains them in the Red Lobster system.
Mortazavi, 33, was born in Fresno, California. His dad was born in Tabriz and came to the United States in 1978 to go to college. In college, he met his future wife, who was from Texas and of Mexican heritage.
Mortazavi’s dad had a career in the hotel industry “so I guess hospitality runs in my blood,” Reza told the Iran Times.
His mother had a knack for cooking and made a point of learning Persian cuisine from her mother-in-law. So Reza grew up with kabobs and not just tacos. He says his favorite dish is bademjoon.
Reza started working for Red Lobster as a busboy fresh out of high school. He says he loved the food and the company and was especially grateful when the firm accommodated his class schedule when he started college at the University of California at Irvine.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science—but he stayed with Red Lobster.
Red Lobster ranks itself as the largest seafood restaurant chain with more than 700 locations across North America.
