Words you can hear being muttered all over the country by certain publicans who have been forced to adapt. A pub serving a great experience with a side of beverages and without a sniff of food except when a foil bag of scampi or nuts have been opened, has now travelled the daunting road of turning itself into all things to all people- a bloody restaurant!
Their shared aim is to keep the damn wolves from their doors. I commend you and admire you so very much as you embark on this journey of necessity. Reinvention is the mother of necessity but at what cost!
If you support a bar that is now a restaurant out of necessity, go easy, be gentle, be kind, be compassionate as they navigate these unchartered waters of survival. Your support means they can create jobs in their local area, pay new suppliers, and help a spider web of people in the process. The knock-on can have an incredible and positive ripple effect we can take for granted.
Hospitality is an incredible industry and in Ireland, it is something we excel at.
You can't run before you walk so at the end of each day write down what went well today and on a separate page write down what went horrifically wrong.
The positives and negatives need to be shared with the team, it can be inspiring, educational and necessary information for sustainable growth.
For the negatives, take it on the chin as you will always win and lose.
Ask your team for their recommendations on how to prevent it from occurring twice and in private write your own response.
Before tomorrow comes, know the solutions you want to put into play and be ready to train your team on the new system in preventing the problems from arising again.
Take each day as it comes and learn as you go. You will get there. It isn't easy but I hope it is worth it because you are braver than you give yourself credit for.
Tracie Daly
Food-Business-Coach
