Stella Mora | Karen | Terry Henry | LONG-TERM CARING When hospital administrator

Their varying - sometimes opposing - work schedules also affect their parenting; they have two children, ages 13 and 15. "Oftentimes we're single parents," says Karen. They try to make sure one of them is at home each weeknight, with the other at one of the restaurants. If they both have to go to the restaurants, they get a caregiver for the kids.

To make sure they devote some time to each other and to their kids, they both take off from work on weekends. They also always eat breakfast together, and if they're both working, they often leave together in the evenings.

Despite all of the juggling, opening a restaurant together was a no-brainer. When they were engaged, they "certainly half-joked that we should get [the marriage] out of the way to open the restaurant," says Karen, adding that the business "was made-to-order for us."

LONG-TERM CARING
When hospital administrator Terry Henry got the chance to turn around a failing long-term care facility in Culver City, California, he immediately thought of the woman he needed to partner with: registered nurse and gerontologist Stella Mora.

Nearly 25 years later, he's still thinking about her - but as much more than a business partner. They married one year into their joint venture and have been together since. "Two partners is about as close as you can get to a marriage," says Terry, 57. The personal relationship "was just a natural result."

Stella, also 57, says the business essentially "created the marriage. I don't know if we would have been such good communicators without it. Couples don't learn to sit there and listen [to each other]."