My experience working at Mo' Bettahs
Before I became a student coach at BYU, I had the opportunity to work as a team member of the Mo’ Bettahs staff in Spanish Fork. Mo’ Bettahs, which is a Hawaiian fast-food chain here in Utah, delivers on making delicious Hawaiian-style food and giving the customer an authentic Hawaiian experience. My time there taught me invaluable lessons about efficiency, teamwork, and consistency.
One of the most profound lessons I learned was about the concept of pono. Pono is a Hawaiian word that can have many different meanings, but the most common definition is that of righteousness, balance and moral integrity. In the workplace, we were encouraged to live pono, which was usually accompanied with a team cheer before we started our shift: “1-2-3, Pono!” as we raised our hands together from the hand stack.
The more I worked, the clearer it became that living pono wasn’t just a slogan but an essential part of our routine. We began every shift with a pono cheer, and I began to see the intricacy of pono in our work. Living pono meant respecting others, taking responsibility, and approaching every task with integrity. Over time, I came to see every task as a chance to practice integrity. Whether by ensuring accuracy in an order or supporting teammates during busy hours, I realized that small actions rooted in pono can have big impacts.
Working at Mo’ Bettahs helped me learn to carry the values of pono and integrity beyond work, and apply the pono spirit to any of life’s challenges. It taught me that true integrity is about consistently showing up for others and doing what’s right, even in the smallest moments.