Don’t go home, till you make something happen.

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Years ago, we opened a second unit to our flagship restaurant 2 hours away in another state. It was a difficult thing to do and then after opening our Executive Chef/ Manager left to get married and we were in a bit of a bind. My partner and I began to split the shifts and I would work Monday and Tuesday, he would come down and relieve me and work Wednesday and Thursday and I worked Friday and Saturday. Thankfully we had someone who managed Sunday for us. Now that’s not the point of the story. We started out slowly and were having trouble getting guests to come to Old Town where we were located and so we had to create a way to get some traffic. What I learned was that when things were slow and we didn’t seem to have any reservations, I would decide to “Do Something”. I would stand down in Old Town outside the restaurant and chat with everyone who came by, many times inviting new people in to see the restaurant. If they were shopping somewhere else, I’d invite them to come back.

A rival restaurant across the street would watch me shaking hands and introducing myself and have a good laugh about it. It didn’t bother me. I was making something happen. It also didn’t bother me when they went out of business six months later for lack of customers. I would go to a Chamber of Commerce luncheon and get to know folks, drive to one of the fabulous Virginia wineries in the area, and talk to the owners, I would walk to the local hotels and chat with the concierge. I used to say that I would just get it in my mind that I wasn’t going home till I made a connection, got a new idea, or caused something to Happen Positively with the restaurant. I did that every day. Sometimes little results and sometimes huge results (the woman walking down the street with items from the bridal shop who I invited in, gave her a glass of wine, toured the space and she ended up having the rehearsal dinner with us.) But I knew that somewhere out there an opportunity existed and all I needed to do was put the wheels in motion. A year later we were full most of the time, were the Small Business of the Year in the local Chamber of Commerce and were named a “National Treasure” by the food critic of the WASHINGTON POST. 

If nothing has happened yet today, don’t go home. Look at that stack of business cards that you have collected. Send those people a fun email about happy hour and what they can expect to enjoy. Talk to the people in the restaurant and ask them for their help. But don’t ever leave feeling defeated. Doing something positive will make all of the difference. And you’ll feel better than you did.

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