Short Summary
In April of 2005, my husband took me to an old beat up firehouse and asked me to look past the boxes of junk, the layers of dirt and cobwebs, the three broken down cars parked in the engine bay and imagine a restaurant instead. At first I thought he was crazy, but then I got it. We spent the next 6 months researching and writing a business plan and another 12 months trying to convince anyone else we were on to something. After countless hours of renovating, rebuilding, cleaning, painting, staining, stressing, and too many setbacks to remember, we opened our doors in December 2006.
When we first planned the business, I thought we'd open a nice little restaurant, make a decent living and be good to go. I had no idea of what an impact it would have on our lives, on our employees (past and present) and our community. I also had no idea that we were about to go into a recession and that we couldn't have picked a worse time for this (buying and renovating the building in the height of the real estate market when everything cost the most, followed by opening at the start of one of the worst economies ever when people started to reel in their personal spending).
I need your help now to keep the doors open. This is important to me on many levels.
While I have three children of my own, it's like I've adopted 25-35 more on any given day through my employees. I care about and worry about these people as if they were my own kids.
- We have one "kid" who started with us the very first day as a 14 year old dishwasher and is now a 21 year old kitchen manager.
- We have cooks who have been with us for 5-6-7 years, which is rare in this business.
- There have probably been 40 other "kids" who have gotten their first real job with us - in a small town with no public transportation, that is saying a lot. It has allowed them to go on to other places and have something real to include on a job application.
- We have enabled stay-at-home moms to help support their families with a part-time job, helped many keep their cars or houses when they thought they couldn't make the payments.
- We've helped more than one employee deal with addiction and mental health issues by tracking down the help they need while allowing them to keep their jobs.
The thought of closing and leaving all of my employees unemployed keeps me up at night.
The impact on the community has been larger than we ever imagined as well. There is something that makes you all warm and fuzzy when you see people greeting others in a genuinely happy and friendly way and this happens all the time here. We also have one confirmed marriage in a relationship that started when they met for the first time at our restaurant, came in often on dates, and then actually got engaged in the restaurant! We've raised thousands of dollars for schools, a young local girl who was hit by a car and seriously injured, a local organization that brings terminally ill children and their families to the beach, a police officer killed in the line of duty. We've witnessed first dates, breakups, more than one marriage proposal, weddings, baby showers, girls nights, a large group of retired firefighters meeting every month for lunch. I realize we aren't curing cancer or solving world peace, but I do feel like it matters that we are here.
The most important reason I have to get funding and keep the doors open are my kids. They were almost 7, almost 4 and 18 months old when we opened and are now almost 14, almost 11 and 8. They have sacrificed more than anyone while we have worked and stressed and worked and stressed. They have been resilient and patient and healthy and challenging and I know how lucky I am to have them. I don't want their sacrifice to be for nothing.
I have had real struggles lately about how I am not doing enough to make the world a better place and I feel like I am constantly reminded about others who are making a profound difference. But in my own little part of the world, and in the worlds of my employees and family, I'd like to think that what I am doing is making things better and so it is that important to me to continue.
What We Need and What You Get
I am hoping to raise $10,000. To some people this is a small amount of money (I just don't know any of those people!). To me, this is a huge amount of money.
- It will be used to get people in to the restaurant - sprucing up the landscaping, getting a new stand up ashtray for outside, a new state flag and restaurant flag (I've already replaced the American flag), getting our website current and running, getting a direct mail campaign out, buying tshirts and other merchandise to sell for the holidays, paying off some past due bills. There are all these little things that make a huge difference in how people perceive the restaurant, but I just don't have the cash.
- In return, depending on your donation, you will get: a souvenir patch or pin, a beer coozie, a free BBQ Pork sandwich (if you are local!), the opportunity to spend the night with me (in the kitchen!) or a few days with me (in the restaurant!)
- Any and all funds will be used towards operating costs of the restaurant no matter how much we raise.
My plan is this:
- If we are able to raise funds and stay in business, then in one year from our campaign's end, I will return to indiegogo and as I am able, I will fund projects in amounts equal to whatever we raise. That is, if you help save us, I will do what I can to help someone else.
- We have made it this far and will not give up, but we could really use some help. I can't articulate how strongly I believe that our restaurant can survive with just a little help.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't make a monetary donation, you can still help!
- Let people you know who might be interested and a position to help about us.
- Come to the restaurant, tell your friends to come to the restaurant, post positive reviews about us online!