UnExplainable

Upon return from Asheville, we had a mission to complete. Both businesses were doing well but could be doing better. I was able to work with our team to get things aligned from a staffing standpoint and created a solid foundation that we had been in need of for a long time. We then found our groove and obtained a really solid group of people to help run both ships in the direction we wanted them to go. Table 33 turned 7 years old October 16th and it was a time for me to reflect on all that I had learned and grown from in the space. Tipp City Pizza (TCP) also turned 1 year old on December 30th of 2023 and between the two, we had a holiday party of both restaurants that felt like a fulfillment of what had been a dream: To have multiple teams come together knowing they’re on the same mission while operating in different spaces. 

As we turned the corner of the new year, I had one thing on my mind: Make up ground on the financial side of the business. 

Not a lot of people fully understand restaurants and the behind the scenes work that it takes to make a restaurant run. My experience opening up TCP taught me a lot about the actual numbers it takes. We spent around 1.2 million once it was all said and done to get that space remodeled, furnished, and all the necessary equipment we needed to run the restaurant. But on a daily basis, there’s people who come in and prep the food that’s being made for the shift that day and when you sell out of most or all of it the same day, the cycle starts all over. It’s a beautiful and painful thing. Most of the time those who are working the same shift selling all the food they just prepped are the ones who are going to be in the next morning to prep the same food for the same thing….again. It can be mundane and mentally challenging. But our goal has always been to try and keep it exciting, fun and hold an expectation at the same time. 

Restaurants also present a financial challenge because there is a cycle of money going out but not always money coming in. You find a pattern with some days but other days can hit you out of nowhere. A conference at the convention center in downtown Dayton would send tons of people for Table 33 or kids being out of school would have TCP full at 12 PM on a Tuesday. There’s always uncertainty and that’s what makes it fun. 

Inspiring Reminder For The Day: I had an in grown toe nail a couple weeks ago (bear with me) and found a Dr’s office in Charleston that specialized in removing them. Fun fact but I learned you’re supposed to cut your toe nails at more of a 90 degree cut on the corners than following the curvature of a nail. You can also get in grown toe nails from dropping a heavy thing on your toe….which I had done. Any way, I walked into the office and was speaking to the front desk lady, telling her I had just moved here from Ohio and she asked why. I said in a few words “I came here for work but I also just needed to change things up. I decided to take a leap.” She proceeded to tell me that she was feeling a similar way but has been hesitant to do it. I encouraged her and just said follow your gut. Once I got my toe fixed, she finished my paper work and then I said to her “Don’t be afraid to take that leap.” And she responded with “I won’t. I’m going to pursue it now.”

This Dr’s Office was not the prettiest or nicest office and medically speaking, was a little sketchy. But the job got done and at the end of the day, I think what may feel uncomfortable to us may be a catalyst for speaking life and giving encouragement to someone who may be looking for the smallest of signs to take a leap. That leap could be the thing that changes their life and you played a role in that. Don’t let the discomfort discourage you from setting aside that discomfort to encourage someone to take the leap.