Because so many Gen Z employees prize meaning and wellbeing in their work, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the same research shows they also consider a livable income to be the foundation of job satisfaction. Without the cash that frees them from worry about covering basic needs, meaning and wellbeing aren’t attainable. Which can make attracting young workers a bit of a balancing act.  

Here in Indianapolis, a student entrepreneur hoped not only to change how students dine on campus but to offer an innovative environment for a new kind of worker. Felipe Reyes Murcia opened Chimba Bowls on the Butler University campus in April 2025 with help from Butler’s Innovation Lab and a commitment to offering student employees an opportunity that stands apart. 

“I think from an employee’s perspective, if you really put yourself in the position of your workers and your clients, you’ll have to take some short-term risks or some losses that in the long run will work better,” Reyes told me when we talked earlier this year. “So, my employees get paid well per hour—slightly over the average per hour. Actually a lot over.” 

As a student who has experienced a range of jobs that didn’t pay quite enough for him to feel financially stable, Reyes went further than higher wages: “I wanted to do something creative compared to other places,” he said. “Giving the highest pay on campus was a start. I also have plans that profits are going to be split between everyone. While this is still in the works, I think it will be a key part of bringing in workers because it’s another benefit for them aside from their wage.”  

What feels like a small shift to Reyes makes a big impact on his employees. Better wages mean more freedom—in a variety of ways. Employees are grateful, Reyes reports, to be able to earn higher wages without having to commute to work, which easily puts an hour per shift back into their days, which is quite a gain for a busy student.  

Reyes set the foundation for Gen Z work satisfaction with higher pay, and Clara Burns, strategy consultant for Chimba Bowls, shares that he didn’t stop there—profit sharing is also in development. 

Understanding that adequate pay is only the foundation for employee job satisfaction, Reyes, a diligent student of entrepreneurship, went further.  

“At the end of the day,” he said, “I want this to live further than when I graduate. I want this to be the space where student entrepreneurs try new things.” He believes that means giving employees room to experiment and step up to address issues when they arise, which can mean contributing ideas for ingredients or figuring out how to continue serving customers when an unexpected rush empties the store of spoons.  

“They have room to figure it out,” he said. “Which is a little scary but also gives the autonomy of, ‘Okay, I’m not just here to follow instructions. I can solve this customer issue.’”  

The benefit of that autonomy applies to Reyes, as well, he says: If an employee comes to him with a suggestion, he recognizes the limits of his own experience.  

“Maybe I have no clue,” he said. “Maybe I have very limited knowledge, but if they have a way to prove to me that their suggestion is something we should do, then let’s do it. You want to change the menu colors, you want to add a reward—I’m an open book. 

“[The employees] have suggestions, and they’re very smart.”  

“Of course I like to make money,” Reyes said. “But I like to think that if you do things properly, you can get personally benefited and then impact other people. So, if I can make $5 and that’s enough for me, I don’t need to make S15 if that’s going to cost somebody so much more to be able to get it.” 

Reyes wants to take great care of customers and employees, but he sees that as more than a moral good. It’s part of the company’s identity and part of what draws great employees and ultimately a profit.  

“I’d like to earn the least amount of money I can if that allows me to be able to pay my employees better,” he said. “And it sounds so nice, but I think that also has a financial impact because everyone’s so encouraged to purchase or work at Chimba Bowls that that ends up driving revenue.” 

It also creates happy employees whose basic needs are being met and who are encouraged to contribute, make mistakes, and grow. Chimba Bowls also creates the opportunity to build community; from its Chimba Run Club to its Late Night Chimba events, this is not simply a place to work or eat. Reyes isn’t the first to take this approach—we’ve seen similar ideologies work well for organizations like employee-owned commercial construction company Shiel Sexton, an employer that has built a reputation on its commitment to the communities where its employees live and work—but  it’s great to see a young entrepreneur forging the path so many of his peers would like to be on.  

My entire family loves the bowls, and knowing Reyes prioritizes his employees as he does is a bonus we’ll keep coming back for—I hope for many years to come.