Sharon Barson

A lifelong resident of Chicago, Ms. Barson has extensive
experience in opening and managing restaurants and other small businesses in Chicago and around the country. She also functions as a consultant to other local business owners.

She started out slicing onions and cleaning grease traps in her father’s restaurant when she was only 12. Instead of discouraging her from an industry which at that time, had very few women operators, she thrived on the challenges and the interesting people she met on a daily basis.

After running restaurants for venerable companies such as Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. and Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, she began her own business helping others open theirs. In 1995 she started Educational Advantage, Inc. a hospitality and small business consulting firm which provides independent operators with the edge to compete with larger chain enterprises.

Educational Advantage, Inc. is WBE certified in the City of Chicago, Cook County and the State of Illinois and DBE/ACDBE certified in the City of Chicago.