18-year-old uses her college savings to buy restaurant she used to wash dishes at

A teenager used her college fund to buy the restaurant she worked out - showing that there really is more than one way to invest in your future.

Samantha Frye, 18, started working at Rosalie's in Strasburg, Ohio, as a pot washer when she was just 16-years-old and steadily worked her way up the ranks to line cook.

You can see her talk about her job here:

When she finished high school, Frye went off to college and tried her hand at business and then environmental engineering.

During her winter break from Ohio State, she picked up some shifts at Rosalie's and learnt that the owners were looking to sell up - and that was when Frye had an idea.

"I was thinking, 'Whoa, maybe this was something I wanted to do,' because I had savings - because I was saving up for college," Frye told WESH.

"So, I had quite a bit of money set aside, and I was like, I could possibly do this."

After forking over the downpayment, Frye took ownership of Rosalie's last month - and it’s still a bit of a shock to the teen.

NBC

She added: "If you told me six months ago I would be doing this, I would have said you're crazy.”

And her customers are equally as surprised - and impressed - by Frye’s get up and go.

Customer Randy Zehnder, told the news outlet: "It's awesome she was able to save her own money for a down payment. I couldn't have done that."

And don’t let her young age fool you into thinking that she isn’t giving her all to the new role.

Frye said: "Right now, this is so new; this is my priority. Five days of the week, I'm in here. If not in here, I'm back there doing prep.

"The other two days, I'm in the office doing meetings with the sales reps."

NBC

The new owner says she doesn’t plan on changing the name of the restaurant or doing much in the way of updating it - and well, if it ain’t broke, why fix it, right?

Rosalie’s employee Leanna Gardner thinks that Frye is an inspiration to others - especially the younger generation.

"I just really think she's a great example of a young lady that is following her dreams and doing what she loves," she said.

And Frye herself agrees with that sentiment, passing on a message to others her age, and said: “You don't need college to make a decent living, and I think that's what a lot of people think nowadays.

"Follow your instinct, honestly. If it feels right, just do it."

Topics: US News, Money

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at UNILAD who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats.