At its annual board meeting in Raleigh on Feb. 7, the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) elected Raleigh restaurateur, Amber Moshakos, to serve as the board chair for a one-year term. She was sworn in by the board of directors along with a new slate of officers, including outgoing board chair, Nish Patel, who will continue to serve on the executive committee as immediate past chair.
Moshakos is president of LM Restaurants, a Raleigh based, family-owned hospitality management group which designs, develops, builds and operates award-winning restaurants across the Southeast. She leads the overall operations and senior staff activities as well as LM Restaurants’ business development and strategic initiatives in vendor negotiations, real estate transactions, marketing, restaurant construction and design.
“Amber grew up in the food industry and has helped take her family business to the next level despite all the challenges of the last few years. She has served on our board since 2014, and we are honored and excited to have her serve as our new chair,” says NCRLA President and CEO Lynn Minges. “I also want to offer a special thank you to Nish Patel, who tirelessly guided us during one of the most challenging times in our history during his tenure as NCRLA board chair.”
Amber holds a Master of Management in Hospitality from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences with a minor in business from NC State. She and her family own and operate 31 award winning restaurants. They have 13 brands under the family umbrella including Carolina Ale House, a regional restaurant brand. In addition, they have 12 single brand units, including The Oceanic, Bluewater Waterfront Grill, Henry’s Restaurant & Bar, Hops Supply Co., Taverna Agora, Vidrio, Oceanic at Pompano Beach, Lucky Fish, Morea and The Cove. New restaurants on the horizon include a collaboration with Top Chef Alum Katsuji Tanabe with a’Verde Cocina + Tequila Bar and The Preserve BBQ with famed NC Pitmasters Ed and Ryan Mitchell.
She has served on the NCRLA Board, the Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness and NC State College of Education’s Advisory Board. Through LM Restaurants, she also participates in numerous other community activities, including Activate Good, No Kid Hungry, Habitat for Humanity, Carolina Hurricanes Foundation and more.
