That philosophy compelled Yescas and husband Enrique to each work two jobs for years until they saved enough money to buy the Pier 49 Pizza franchise in Murray. And it has enabled her to take that restaurant, which was struggling just last March, and make it profitable within months.

The Latin American Chamber of Commerce, which conducts some of its monthly meetings at the restaurant, took note of her achievement in September, presenting its Entrepreneur Award to Yescas.

"It was a surprise," said Yescas, president of Yescas Corp., owner of the Pier 49 franchises in Herriman and Murray and a mother of three, originally from Veracruz, Mexico. "Twelve years of hard work are paying off."

Yescas's ability to turn around the pizza franchise, in the commercial center on the northeast corner of 5300 South and State Street, impressed the Latin American Chamber in several ways, said president-elect Antonella Romero Packard.

"Franchise fees are pretty steep, but Jessica paid off her fee in less than a year. It's really nice that she has been able to do this in a restaurant, applying and replicating what was successful at other places where she worked," Packard said.

To do this in a location where most of her customers are members of the mainstream public, and not just other Latinos, establishes bridges that help bring the entire community together, Packard added. "We like to have our Latino businesses participating with the communities where they are incorporated."

Yescas worked her way up through the restaurant ranks. For several years she was a waitress in hotel restaurants and, after that shift, cleaned business offices with her husband, now the executive chef for the Davis Area Convention & Visitors Bureau's conference center after stints at the Park City Marriott and Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.

Then she became associated with the Wong family, helping to open the first of 19 IHOP restaurants in Utah. She spent six years with the company, finishing as front house manager. "I was inspired by the Wongs and decided that in the near future I would own my own franchise," she said.

And now she does.

To be successful in business, Yescas said, "you need to have a very consistent work ethic. You always have to be proactive and follow the principles of the restaurant industry - concentrate on food quality and customer service. Because, at the end of the day, a happy customer will reflect in your success."

She encourages other people interested in owning their own businesses to "learn the field that you want to be in, develop a business plan and never give up on your dream."

In accomplishing her goal, Yescas hopes to provide a better life for her daughters, Jessica, Coco and Nikki. But she also hopes to serve as a role model for other Latinos and, especially, Latinas.

"I would like to be the first [chamber award recipient] but not the last," she said, "and to be seen as a hard-working woman with the vision to succeed in life no matter what the obstacles are - language barriers, little access to financial help and the stereotype of Latinos, that we only can have little businesses."

mikeg@sltrib.com