Why [me]: Aislin's story

What do being the daughter of the first female head waiter at a strict French restaurant, starting a bluegrass band at 13 and performing on Tinier Desk Concerts all have in common? They’re all part of what makes up our Enterprise Onboarding Specialist, Aislin Kavaldjian's wonderful story. But how exactly did this talented music artist-turned-political-science-student-turned restaurateur become one of our very talented [me]ople? And does her bluegrass band do birthday parties (asking for a friend)?

Growing up in Lovettsville, Virginia, some could argue that Aislin had the “restaurant gene” from a young age. She shared, “My mom was the first female head waiter at a very strict French service-style restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. Like, had to convince the guy who owned it that women were allowed to be head waiters kind of environment.” She grew up in a family that “loved food, beverages and having a good time. The perfect mix for someone to end up in hospitality.”

One of Aislin’s first jobs as a kid was on a farm. “I would get up really, really early and harvest fruits and vegetables, then I would work at the stand. I've just always been around food and sustainability.” Aislin’s upbringing wasn’t just about a love for food, but also delightfully musical.

At 13, she started a bluegrass band with her sibling that would last for the next 10 years. “Music was a huge part of growing up for both of us.” They even got featured on NPR’s Tinier Desk Concerts, a kids’ version of Tiny Desk. Aislin went on to get a degree in political science from James Madison University, with plans to go into political research. But as with both a good story and a croissant, the best ones have lots of layers.

“I’m going into politics,” she thought, “But then everyone was like, ‘You have an undergraduate degree and basically no practical experience.’ And I thought to myself, ‘Oh crap.’” Aislin realized she needed to pivot, and in the meantime, applied to work at Old Ox Brewery in Loudoun County. “I got a job as a taproom associate and then worked my way up to a manager position really quickly there. I learned a ton about the brewing industry, and made more money and more friends than I ever had at any job. I really realized like, ‘Oh, I’m good at this.’”

Eventually, Aislin was hungry for new opportunities and realized that continuing in the restaurant world might be the way to go. Through a few connections she’d made along the way, she opened the first Delirium Cafe in the U.S as their assistant general manager and beverage director. “I built a 500-beer list, which was my speciality at the time.” She then worked with a few friends as the opening general manager for another nearby restaurant. But after a few years, she realized that it was time for another change.

“After doing the small business thing for a few years, I realized I was missing a lot of info that you can really only get when you work for a larger group. I realized I had blind spots that were kind of big, and thought, ‘Let me work for a larger restaurant group so I can close the gaps.’” This decision brought her to Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG), which she joined at 25 as their youngest general manager.

She ran B-Side, a vinyl & cocktail bar in the Mosaic District of Fairfax, Virginia, and from there, Aislin’s restaurateur skills continued to blossom. “I just really grew rapidly with the group.” Following COVID, she went on to move up into operations management and then into a director of operations role. “It was just a steady upward trajectory, and I learned a ton. I would not be where I am right now without those experiences.”

Five and a half years later, Aislin finished her time there as the director of operations for the Virginia side of the group, overseeing 11 restaurants and 14 openings. “That became my speciality,” she said, “After COVID, we were reopening previous restaurants and opening new ones, and getting involved in those projects was a lot of fun.”

Aislin went on to be an area manager at Andy’s Pizza, which eventually led her to MarginEdge. “Both Andy’s and NRG use MarginEdge, so I’d been using the platform as a client for five years. I got to see how the platform evolved and improved over time.”

One day, after leaving her role at Andy’s, Aislin went out to lunch with a former coworker from NRG. It was Rachel Dick, who’d started a new role at MarginEdge as a Controller in Residence. She told Aislin there was an open role that she’d be perfect for, helping onboard multi-unit groups into the software. “I had the onboarding, accounting and leadership experience. I had the multiunit perspective. Rachel told me I would be perfect for the role.” And Rachel was right. Thus, Aislin’s [me]ople journey began.

Aislin has gone on to onboard over 60 restaurant groups since her start in 2025. “I think the thing I like about my role now is that I get to function more like a consultant than a training manager. I get to function as the expert, but keep the perspective of the folks that I'm training and working with. They’re doing this for the first time.”

An expert indeed! Aislin has not only become a huge part of the onboarding process for clients, but an incredible coworker, talented chef (shoutout to the rolls she brought to the [me]ople Friendsgiving) and an instrumental part of the company (did we mention she won the Go Big or Go Home Award at All Hands 2026?).

Outside of [me], Aislin enjoys trying out new hobbies and is super excited for her wedding(!) happening later this year with her fiancé Nick. We’re grateful to Aislin for her continued hard work and for being a part of what makes [me], [me].