It’s my day off and all I really want to do is be at work. My son is with his other parent. Dog is by my side while I have my coffee at the local — also a place where I used to work. I know the customers, I know the people, they’re all still there. The general manager peers over the coffee machine, “Do ya miss me?” and in a flash of retrospect I reply earnestly, “Yeah I totally do!” It’s then you realise all the annoyances of former colleagues will always be superseded by your current colleagues’ lack of common sense. It’s like a hindsight of comfort. Like, you’re not really gaslighting yourself — things really could be better. Things could always be better, but a pursuit of excellence needs to be contrasted with a state of content for what is, here and now. Without it, you’d kill yourself or your literal heart would do it for you.
It’s a new level of empathy when you work long hours and in close proximity with everyone. I’ve learnt, more often than not (in my very unclinical trials) that asserting an unnecessary level of control and micromanagement comes from history of being micromanaged. Add into that the tendency to have a lack of control over your own personal life and mentally, it’s like herding cats, (which you can totally do if you have the right treats, TL;DR, treat your staff well).
I’m also beginning to really appreciate the struggle compared to the celebrity. Not that one is absent without the other, but for one celebrity chef, there is always scores more people who don’t want that. They just want to run a business around a community (possibly vice versa, if they know what they’re doing). I’ve worked in places where capital came from inheritances, where they used to own franchises and brought their customers from 10km away. That’s where I’m sitting right now. It’s a family business. Their whole family was sanding down benches, putting gib on walls and sealing up cracks in the ceiling. The pursuit of capitalism is inherently flawed, but while we’re still fighting it, we might as well be noble about it.
Ideology is easy. Implementation is hard. Finding good people is harder still. That’s my biggest concern, besides saving up the money to build my shop. I started studying architecture part time so I know my way round, I’m keeping my eye out for ideas, I’m eating lots of ice cream and I’m reading a lot of food safety legislation. I’m also keeping track of things that do and don’t make sense. Little things like, matte crockery over gloss, stackable water glasses, as well as coffee cups and saucers which make for clearing tables easier, right down to different thicknesses of napkins for service, round tables over square. Everything that cuts 30 seconds off clearing a table and making things easier for staff is key. Not just doing things because that’s the way its “been done”.
It’ll be a while, I’m sure I’ll fail or whatever, but the “fail fast” school of thought is always an option for the privileged and status quo. Everyone always has another $10k. Not me. I’ve only got $50.
