Smashing gophers...
It’s not really the name of the game. You know the one, some kind of furry creature pops up randomly from any number of holes and the goal is to smash it on the head before it can dive back into the hole. Succeed and you rack up points, fail and at least you get to vent a whole lot of frustration. Sometimes I feel like this is a game I play every day.
What’s that- employees out for two weeks with no notice? Smash- tack on a few extra shifts to cover. Staff beginning to sign up for long summer vacations? Smash- figure out how to stretch the remaining ones further. Writing catering proposals for events taking place in October, providing all needed bodies, food, on site kitchen, local produce, meat, dairy, making sure the business already has appropriate insurance riders? Smash- this one is a piece of cake, and fun to boot. Tracking down the famous bbq sauce from a dearly missed local spot to put on ours? Smash- with help from old insiders. Constantly looking at ways to increase sales, provide something for everyone? Smash- this one is easy on the ideas, not so much on the execution. Wanting to create a mise en place boot camp for cooks in my kitchen? No smash here- it’s got to go on when I can tease out moments with them. Then there is the listening and retention challenge. Neophobia as one wiser than I defined it.
Yesterday was a good day. Only one list item carried over. Seriously contemplating taking on coffee again; not yet convinced it will improve my aim. Is this a bitch session? Not at all. I laugh every day, hope that I am doing right by my staff and that they know I could not do it without them, am constantly amazed at astute observations, think I am not fucking it up too much. It is the better part of a year since life has changed. Do I miss elements? Mostly specific people; here’s a shout out to you. Come play with me in my new kitchen. I’m a different person in it and I want some help raising the bar without killing the spirit. Any takers? There are a lot of gophers that need smashing (maybe some fires to put out if you’re lucky). xoxo
What’s that- employees out for two weeks with no notice? Smash- tack on a few extra shifts to cover. Staff beginning to sign up for long summer vacations? Smash- figure out how to stretch the remaining ones further. Writing catering proposals for events taking place in October, providing all needed bodies, food, on site kitchen, local produce, meat, dairy, making sure the business already has appropriate insurance riders? Smash- this one is a piece of cake, and fun to boot. Tracking down the famous bbq sauce from a dearly missed local spot to put on ours? Smash- with help from old insiders. Constantly looking at ways to increase sales, provide something for everyone? Smash- this one is easy on the ideas, not so much on the execution. Wanting to create a mise en place boot camp for cooks in my kitchen? No smash here- it’s got to go on when I can tease out moments with them. Then there is the listening and retention challenge. Neophobia as one wiser than I defined it.
Yesterday was a good day. Only one list item carried over. Seriously contemplating taking on coffee again; not yet convinced it will improve my aim. Is this a bitch session? Not at all. I laugh every day, hope that I am doing right by my staff and that they know I could not do it without them, am constantly amazed at astute observations, think I am not fucking it up too much. It is the better part of a year since life has changed. Do I miss elements? Mostly specific people; here’s a shout out to you. Come play with me in my new kitchen. I’m a different person in it and I want some help raising the bar without killing the spirit. Any takers? There are a lot of gophers that need smashing (maybe some fires to put out if you’re lucky). xoxo
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