Today’s going to be a red-letter day. Worthy of circling on your calendar in anticipation.
Full of great people and memories. Something truly special.
Who We Are
Red Letter Hospitality is a management group and so much more. We’re innovators, best-in-class operators and, above all, partners with our employees, guests and the community. Together we achieve enlightened hospitality.
Our Founder
Billy Lewis
Owner, President, Red Letter Hospitality
Billy is currently president of Red Letter Hospitality. Prior to his current role, he was at TreeHouse Foods (THS) as Senior Vice President and Business Unit Leader of the condiments division with revenues of $600 million. During his nine years with TreeHouse, Billy led several business integrations, managed $150 million in capital projects, and consistently delivered both top and bottom line results.
Billy began his food manufacturing career by founding North Coast Processing in 1990 in a small rented garage. Over the next 15 years, the business grew to $50 million in revenue; he sold the business to E.D. Smith Ltd. (Imperial Capital) in Winona, Ontario in 2005. After the sale, Billy was named Executive Vice President at E.D. Smith and was integral in the company completing an IPO in 2005 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Billy led two successful acquisitions for the company, which doubled the annual revenues to over $300 million. In 2007, Billy was on the executive team that successfully sold the business to TreeHouse Foods, a Chicago-based company.
In addition to his business career, Billy serves as Chairman for the North East Community Foundation and a Mercyhurst University trustee. Billy is married to Beth and they have four children – Mac, Cuyler, Annē, and William.
Meet the Team
Melissa Fisher
Chief of Staff
Melissa joined the Red Letter Hospitality staff in May of 2021 and currently services as Chief of Staff at it’s headquarters in North East, PA.
As a graduate of Gannon University with a BA in Administrative Studies, coupled with her varied 42-year work history in law, higher education, medical insurance, telephony, manufacturing and human resources, she brings a unique perspective to the hospitality industry. For 20 years she has served as the Executive Assistant for the North East Community Foundation, along with running an Airbnb in Ripley, NY with her husband.
Melissa is married to Roy and they have 4 four children, Katie, Brian, Caitlin and Ryan, along with one grandchild and two more on the way! In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, gardening and riding motorcycles with her husband.
Mac Lewis
Director of Franchise Operations, Red Letter Hospitality
Early in his education, Mac chose to focus on restaurant operation and development. During his time at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, he gained valuable hands-on experience in operational management and restaurant development from the field’s top professionals and actively participated in several internships to further his practice in the industry.
Following graduation from Cornell, Mac joined Roti Modern Mediterranean, a fast-casual concept, based in Chicago. At Roti, Mac mas quickly promoted to Development Coordinator. During this role, he assisted with new restaurant site selections, construction processes and facilities management.
Mac was instrumental in opening The Cork 1794 and The Skunk & Goat Tavern, serving as General Manager and developing the catering division.
Currently Mac is leading Red Letter Hospitality’s franchise division with CoreLife Eatery as the Director of Operations. His fitness-focused lifestyle and restaurant background led to an instant connection with the CoreLife brand.
Mac has always enjoyed athletics; he was a former competitive athlete for the U.S. Junior National Gymnastics Team and was a four-year member of Cornell Univeristy’s diving team. After college, Mac began practicing yoga and his passion for it grew. He earned his RYT-200 certification from Asheville Yoga Center in 2017, studying under Kiley Holliday in their highly acclaimed mentorship program.
Mac continues to live a wellness-based lifestyle, while working to further develop CoreLife Eatery in the greater Cleveland/Akron region.
Megan Finnerty
Event & Sales Manager
Megan is a native of a Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and graduated from Appalachian State University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. From there her hospitality career, started in Charlotte, North Carolina with the Craftworks Restaurant Group as part of their management team. She then went on to join their NRO team, opening new restaurants within in the East Coast. She has since and most recently worked for the James Beard Nominated Fox Restaurant Concepts at their North Italia location in Washington, D.C.
When she’s not at one of Red Letter Restaurants you can find Megan spending time with her three children, Jason Jr., Charlotte, and Colin and husband Jason.
Annē Lewis
Director of Marketing, Red Letter Hospitality
Annē currently serves as director of marketing for Red Letter Hospitality, but has played a role in many other essential functions of the business since 2014.
She graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Following graduation, she worked for Frito-Lay as a Sales Account Manager responsible for more than 20 grocery stores in the greater Boston area.
In 2018, Anne was thrilled to join Red Letter Hospitality full time, helping to support the brand in its growth from one to multiple locations. As director of marketing she is responsible for The Cork 1794, Molly Brannigan’s and The Skunk & Goat Tavern, coordinating all social media platforms, website and menu development, advertising campaigns, public relations initiatives and nurturing relationships with local businesses.
Annē is fueled by a desire to grow and push beyond the boundaries of what she and this organization can achieve. Red Letter Hospitality is the perfect place for that growth and opportunity to give back to the community where she
Jason Finnerty
Executive Chef, The Cork 1794
As Executive Chef, Jason Finnerty is looking forward to sharing his love for local ingredients and passion for creative menu development with guests at The Cork.
A native of Detroit, Jason got his first taste of the restaurant industry at age 13 and has been working in kitchens ever since.
Most recently, Jason worked for the Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded restaurant group, True Food Kitchen in Dallas and Washington DC. He also worked for the James Beard nominated Fox Restaurant Concepts in Phoenix and oversaw menu development for the restaurant group Bread & Butter Concepts in Kansas City.
He was classically trained at Macomb Community College. Highlights from his early career include collaborating on the opening of a Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant in Syracuse and a stint at Hard Rock Cafe in Louisville.
Jason and his wife Megan have three children, Jason Jr., Charlotte and Colin.
John Bouquin
Executive Chef, The Skunk and Goat Tavern
John is a native of western New York who returned to the area a few years ago.
For the last three years, John served as Executive Chef at Ellicottville Brewing Co. West in Fredonia, N.Y. However, his culinary journey has taken him to the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute in Pittsburgh and the Renaissance PineIsle Resort in Georgia.
John enjoys spending his spare time with his family, including a wife and two children, playing in the garden and rooting for the Buffalo Bills.
Matt Buchner
Director of Systems & Technology
Matt is homegrown here in Erie County. Matt graduated from Fort LeBoeuf High School and then Mercyhurst University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. Matt started his career at Pompano Beach Club, Bermuda and has since been to Avalon Hotel, Peek n’ Peak Resort, and the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel as both Event Operation Manager and Restaurant General Manager. Matt joined Red Letter back in October of 2018 and his role is overseeing the front of house operations of the independent restaurant’s division with Molly Brannigan’s, Skunk and Goat Tavern, The Cork-1794 and Catering. In his spare time, he enjoys having a paint brush in his hand while making improvements on his house in Platea, playing beach volleyball, and volunteering as a Son of the American Legion Post 494 out in Girard, PA.
