Kelly Doran, a born and raised Rhode Islander, has over 10 years of experience working in the restaurants that make Rhode Island food and culture so great. She joined the Gracie’s team in 2015 as the Office Manager, responsible for the day to day tasks like answering phones and taking care of guest reservations. This position quickly grew and evolved into something far greater than answering phones and ordering office supplies. Kelly is, among many other things, the staff mom. She sews buttons onto shirts, hems pants, treats ink stained ties, mends wounds, lifts us up when we are down, keeps us organized, efficient, and graceful. She has taken something ordinary and made it extraordinary. 
Whether they know it or not, every single guest’s experience is enhanced by Kelly’s hard work, passion, compassion, and eye for detail. The confetti on your table is a perfect blend of different sized stars because Kelly mixes them together that way. She ordered your Anniversary flowers. She prints your customized Chef’s tasting menus. Kelly makes the bathrooms smell better, the light bulbs softer, and the woodwork shinier. She spends hours researching and comparing different bread baskets, coffee cups, stationary, coat room tags, candles, carpet cleaning solutions, and an infinite amount of other fine details that might not be as obvious as delicious food or impeccable customer service, but play an equally important role in the experience that we all put our hearts and souls into day after day.
Kelly goes above and beyond day in and day out. She takes all of the little details into consideration because she values the impact they have on our guests and our team, and she truly wants everyone around her to feel better and do better. Hospitality is in her soul. It is not something that turns off and on as she walks on and off the dining room floor or even to and from work.
Kelly takes pieces of her home life as a loving mother and wife, and beautifully combines them with her experience in the restaurant industry. The end result is an invaluable skill set and innate sense of hospitality that inspires us all to do better, care for each other, and never lose sight of our common goal to provide the best guest experience that we possibly can. Then, at the end of each day, before she goes home, Kelly takes the time to ask every single member of the staff if there is anything else she can do to help them be successful and feel fulfilled at work.
