Marla's Restaurant Blog

Summer blues....

Ok, I'll admit it, business is slow.  Part of it is summer.  July is slow.  People are at the beach.  People are visiting family.  Happens every year.  The economy has dropped our business about 15 percent for most of this year, though both May and June were busier than last year.  Amazing.  But we're back in a slump.  Week night business is fine.  And Sunday brunches are crazy, but Friday and Saturday nights are off.  So we are careful about our food and liquor purchases.  We cut back on linen orders.  And we let the busser have some extra nights off, since he works two jobs. 

We adjust the menu so we offer more small plates for smaller appetites and budgets.  We watch how many loads of dishes are being run through the dishwasher half empty.  (We are charged by the load).  We clean.  We really clean.  We strip the coolers and scrub the walls, racks and compressor coils.  We reorganize our storage areas.  We polish the copper.  We pressure wash the deck. (that's me of course).  We update recipe costing.  We send people home. (Volunteers are usually ready.)  We retrain.

I've been through ups and downs over the years and I think we're doing a lot better than many restaurants.  Our overhead is low.  We're a small shop with a small crew.  We can adjust.  And thank goodness for our many regulars.  They may not be coming in as often, but they are coming in and supporting us and encouraging us.  We're still here.

Blogging....

A good friend told me he thought my blog was courageous.  I didn't know what he was talking about.

Most customers have told me they love reading my blog.  Great. 

Recently a customer commented that they thought it was not appropriate.  Not great.

So I'm a more than a little nervous now about what I write.  No, I'm not telling you about every little detail because I'm afraid it will hurt me. 

Can I tell you that three weeks after we opened in 1992 at my old location down the street, a server was shot during a robbery?   Can I tell you that I grabbed two napkins off a side board (or was it a table) and pressed them to the entrance and exit holes in his neck to stop the blood flow?  Can I tell you that a well known restaurant critic was dining there that night and was in fact being waited on by the same server but they never made mention of it in a review?  Can I tell you what it's like to hear gun shots ring out through your own dining room and then try to hide behind a cooler with your head buried between your knees?   Can I tell you that he died a week later?  No, probably not.

Or can I? 

I met my husband who came on board as a police officer working an extra job for all the restaurants on the block after the robbery.  We have a lovely daughter.  He continues to stand by me.  I know I can tell you that. 

So this blog is not for the faint of heart.  This is not for the Top Chef fans (I'm one too) who want to see liquid nitrogen make pancakes into sculptures.  This is my blog.  Be warned.

Removing the proverbial foot / feet.

Sometimes I think I am funnier than I am. 

It's showtime.  I get pumped up on a restaurant high cruising through my dining room, seating guests, running food and drinks, answering the phone and directing my staff like a seasoned director.  And then I open my mouth and say something witty or make what I think is a humorous gesture to a guest and it falls like a crummy souffle.  The guest doesn't think I'm funny, only rude.  I'm crest fallen.  I want to blink and have a do-over.

From time to time a staff member has said the wrong thing at the wrong time with the wrong look in their eye and I have become involved in smoothing things over.  We mean well, we care.  We like our customers or we wouldn't be in this business.  We pride ourselves on our ability to provide top notch service without any pretentiousness.  We want to take care of our customers.

We just screw up.  We blame in on the moon.

Ready for a few days off.

We're closed tomorrow, the fourth of July and as a bonus to my staff, I'm closing the Restaurant on Sunday as well.  This will let my staff rest up and get a fresh perspective on each other and spend time with their families.  It's the longest break we've had in over a year and we're all looking forward to it.

This is the slowest week of the year and I've been warning my staff to save up their money, I know I did.

Right now I'm putting finishing touches on a new menu for next week and getting my orders together so I don't have to come in on Monday and do them.....but I'm chomping at the bit....