Catching up

Tomorrow, I'll be sending a stack of documents over to our new accountant. They work as a team, and keep everything electronically organised, and do /everything/ for us. And, they're happy to accept the documents via email, fax, or regular mail, or they'll send someone to pick up the stuff monthly, weekly, daily, what have you. In other words, slowly but surely, we're starting to get these things cleared up.

What does that mean? We can finally start drawing up a budget with which to repaint the restaurant, spruce it up a bit, and make it a comfortable place to come with large groups, small groups, or alone. And it only took three years.

I started working here in 2007. Things were pretty shaky. The books were messy, the menus were hideous (does anyone remember those awful spiral bound things? ew.), the website was an atrocity, and there was no system for getting things done. I'd come in to have food (before I worked here), and they'd be out of whatever it is I was wanting the most at that moment (generally, ginger soba noodles, soup, and a sinner bar to round things out). The service was okay, but not great. Food would take a fair bit of time to come up even when it wasn't crowded.

When I did fall into a manegerial role, I started with the easiest thing first: those menus. Once that was sorted, then I attacked the website. Then, I started in on making a catering menu. Piece by painful piece, boss man and I made things happen in such a manner that the kitchen is tight, service is outstanding, and we keep on each others case when we're slacking.

A prime example is when we're creating the daily specials. Preefer's so used to it by now. "Hey, how 'bout we do that seitan sausage." It's gotten to where he says it for me, "But that has gluuuuuuuuten!" Or when he's making dessert? "Can we make that sugar free and gluten free?" Or when it comes to soup, "Does it /really/ need that soy in there?" Why? Because we push each other to do the best that we can do, the most exciting food that we can produce, while still keeping an eye on labour, costing, portion control, the whole nine.

And now we're able to do that with our books too. It's a nice feeling.