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Photo by G.L. Kohuth

NAME: Patrick Riley
OCCUPATION: General Manager
The State Room

Since holding his first job at a Ponderosa Steakhouse, where he worked as a line cook, salad bar attendant and cashier, Patrick Riley has had a passion for serving the restaurant industry.

Riley became general manager of The State Room restaurant in April 2007 in the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center after serving as a manager in the banquets department. Prior to that, he managed restaurants in Michigan and worked at hotels in Texas and California.

“The first year (as general manager) has been a lot of seeing how The State Room operates and getting to know the restaurant as well as I can,” he said. “The State Room has history attached to it as far as the guests that frequent the restaurant and groups that regularly come through.”

Riley is responsible for overseeing the overall functioning of the restaurant, including the supervision of student staff.
“The students are the life and blood at the Kellogg. They are part of the culture of the restaurant.

We get guests that come in all the time because of the attachment to the MSU students. The guests enjoy being served by the students and love talking to them about their futures. It’s fun to be a part of the life at MSU.”

By Rachael Zylstra