My Restaurant Venture!

The opportunity to acquire a local restaurant presented itself to me a little while back, and you may have noticed the brief, yet unplanned hiatus that the cast and crew of The Jason Show has taken.  I was not really planning to get into the restaurant business, but a couple of friends of mine who own restaurants have been discussing how much they enjoyed it, in spite of the large amount of work it entails.

So...I made the plunge.  It has been a lot of work, but it has also been much simpler that I had imagined, in many ways.  Details fill my mind constantly pertaining to which foods to put on the menu, the best layout, how to minimize wasting food, how much money is coming in as opposed to how much is being spent, and, believe it or not, thoughts of expansion already cross my mind on a daily basis.

At times I worry that this new venture will spread me way too thin--after all, how does one own a restaurant and hold down a full time teaching job, not to mention dedicating time to my family and friends.  Giancarlo has been so patient, never complaining about how much time it is taking away from the family, or how much my mind has been preoccupied.  Diego has taken a keen interest in the restaurant business; something I may not have expected from him.  He is always curious about the food, the customers, the whole process, really.  He loves to watch me at work and he desperately wants to help out.  I allow him to do small jobs, but to his dismay, the bigger stuff has to be done by someone else.    

This may sound strange, but I really haven't told many people about the restaurant.  Only those who are with me every day know about it.  My siblings have no idea; this will come as a surprise to them, and not even Hilary and Amelia know about it!

What kind of a restaurant is it, you ask?  I'd say it is an eclectic mix.  Some of our specialties include French toast, waffles, omelettes, a killer fruit salad, (breakfast)  clam chowder, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, and burritos (lunch) and for dinner, my favorites are lobster, seafood paella, beef stew, and a tomato bisque.  As time goes on, I'll be branching out.  But for now, these main items seem to keep my customers coming back again and again.

I wonder how long I'll stick with it.  Will I grow tired of it quickly, as I have some other things that I've tried?  Or will it be something that sustains me over time, like writing and producing The Jason Show.  Time will tell!

I'll keep you posted, and hopefully, production of the Show won't be compromised too much!