An Open Invitation To Our Guests

Written by: Adam M. Lamb

I realize its been a while since we have seen each other, but I wanted you to know that you have been missed.

I've noticed that more and more of you are packing your lunch these days, stretching your dollar as far as it can go and tightening your belts - silently munching on your salads in the courtyard sun while you ponder whether you're going to have more days left at the end of the month than money. Some of you have experienced more financial heartache and worry than you've had in a long time.

We have too.

We pour over schedules looking to save an hour here, cutting back just a bit there. We've gotten very proficient at only buying what we will use, striving to keep our market produce fresh and our fish as prisstene and clean as possible.

Some of you have cut out frivolous spending; cutting back on cable bills, dry cleaning, cell phone use and using your cars only when absolutely necessary.

So have we.

We shut off the ovens when not in use, close off areas of the dining room when necessary, use less staff daily and frequently dim non-essential lighting. We continue to work feverishly every day to promote an experience of caring, kindness and community for our customers through our staffs, who are still standing at the ready to whisk you away from your troubles, if only for an hour or two.

Most of you have cut way back on your dining out as a way to save a few more dollars.

We understand that...we really do.

But we would like to invite you back.
It's still true that the hospitality industry this country's biggest employers.
It's still true that small business owners, and restaurants in particular, are the most effective pistons in this country's economic engine.

We move the country forward, you and us - together; neither of us can do it alone.

Steve and Judy have operated their little restaurant for twelve years. Its in an industrial park that you'd miss if you blinked while driving by. Their clientele are neither the elite nor the powerful, but Steve and Judy work as if they were. The soup is always hot, the vegetables fresh and the sandwiches carefully prepared. They successfully put their three children through school, and together got through some tough times over the years. Though it all they've maintained their good humor and a loyal customer base...one knows that they will be taken care of just like family whenever they visit Steve and Judy's restaurtant.

Mikado has stood in the same location for 27 years. The man behind the counter with the kind eyes has been making Spider Rolls, laughing and talking to customers who grace his door almost every day for all of those years. He is there now, waiting patiently, until Anna and I come in so he can conspiratorially slip my wife Yamagobo and broil up a piece of Hamachi Kama which we will fight over.

Even as a chef, I need to go somewhere where I feel that my money and my presence is appreciated.

Another friend of mine opened a restaurant in Pembroke Pines about a year ago. You may have heard about it mentioned on one of the big local radio stations lately. He did most of the work himself...a labor of love is what he called it. He wanted it to come from an authentically caring place in his heart, and let that be reflected in the atmosphere, furnishings and especially the food. By all accounts he is doing well for himself, his family, his customers and his crew. I think that everyone understands that if what you do comes from love, anything is possible.

We're still out here, even where you live - stalwart operators who know the value of a customer and a cherished friend. Just take the time to look around, and you'll find us and them with simmering pots of savory stews, brick ovens banked just right with ashen coals, waitresses with a ready smile and a smart aleck remark, waiters with stoic professionalism and carefully chosen suggestions and owners who sincerely thank you for patronage and wish you and your family well.

So we are inviting you back to our houses to spend a little time with us. Leave those troubles in the parking lot and laugh a little with us, even if just for today.

You will find it to be money and time well spent.

 

 

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"There are laws governing the proper handling of food and liquor, but there are no laws governing restaurant service, and the art of dealing with people. If "bad service" were illegal, I'd be a millionaire already!" -- Tom House.