Our Bread and Butter

It has been a long day already, and it is only 8:30 AM. Since typically I work until 3 AM, I'm usually not up at this hour, but here I stand in line at Starbucks and just received a phone call with some bad news. It is too early for bad news, especially when I haven't had my first cup of joe. The coffee shop is bustling with a line nearly out the door. The barista with efficient steps rolls drinks out from behind the bar one after the other, barely looking up. He is in the zone. By the time I reach the counter to pay for my drink it is ready. No one asked me what I would like. They knew, then asked if I would be having some coffee cake as well. I nodded my head, paid for my coffee and breakfast, and found my seat in the corner. I looked on, as this streamlined operation pumped coffee out of this tiny retail location with grace and efficiency. Then I realized that every single person in line appeared to be a regular, just like me. Some were in suits, some in workout clothes, and others appeared to just have rolled out of bed, as did I. They had been coming to this Starbucks location for however long on a daily basis, ordered the same thing, and by the time these regulars walked through the door their drink was nearly half made - their lattes, their cappuccinos and iced coffees. They were greeted with a smile by name, and every couple minutes I would hear, "Get So-and-So's drinks started, he is parking right now." I then began started thinking about our restaurants.... the way we do things... and how regulars are a staple, and the core of any good service operation..... our bread and butter......

Often, over the course of the night I will wander the dining room, in order to gauge the way things are going - who seems to be having a good time, who has had too much to drink, who is suffering from bad service, and who simply isn't enjoying themselves for whatever reason. It isn't hard to distinguish these four situations from one another, though more often than not it is a combination of atleast two. I think the ideal cross section would be happy and drunk. That is usually me, well, atleast off the clock. I then wander behind the bar, catch up with a couple of regulars, send a beer or a couple shooters their way, banter with the bartenders and mull over the crowd at the bar. Why do they choose to come here? What sets us apart? What makes this place, this bar, well, home to some people. I think about the drinkers and diners who frequent our establishment alone and think more about this. Often, in other restaurants I am the one alone - I love it. I love going somewhere and treating myself to a really good night out. It could be a burger, could be a three course meal, or maybe just a ketel one martini splashed with a hint of olive juice and the toss of an olive. I believe that this is the ultimate compliment to a restaurant - when someone, without the influence of someone else says, "you know what, I really feel stopping by XYZ for a Beer, for a glass of wine, for a bite to eat...." There is no business meeting, anniversary celebration, or the obligatory couple's night out with your wife's annoying friend and her tech-junkie husband who hasn't seen a live sporting event since his senior year of high school's homecoming game.

We all have the places that we frequent for one reason or another. We feel comfortable in these establishments, and the staff makes us feel like we are one of them.... that we belong. I guess that is why I am in this industry. I understand that at the end of the day we all have choices in life, and those choices are based on experiences. My goal every day is to make people happy. That is why I run a restaurant. That is why I write. If you believe in the product you are selling, and strive to make people happy then anything is possible....

Now off to get ready for my trip to Atlanta, then to North Carolina....There are a lot of loose ends to tie up....... I am starting to miss the real South... I don't think Coastal Virginia really counts, does it?..... See you guys tomorrow....