I’m sad, this Foodie Friday. If you’ve hung around the screed for a while, you know that Friday used to be the day when I’d traipse down to my local and quaff an adult beverage or two to celebrate the end of the week. I’ve written about the place before, and while I still patronize it via takeout food, sitting at the bar with the other regulars is not an option for the foreseeable future. Thanks, COVID.
You are probably aware that pubs take their name from the public houses that first appeared in the late 17th century, and was used to differentiate private houses from those which were, quite literally, open to the public as ‘alehouses’, ‘taverns’, and ‘inns’. Much earlier, the Romans established tabernae in Britain, alehouses along their network of roads. Yes, that’s where the word “tavern” comes from.
Here’s the thing. Those alehouses weren’t just places where people went to get drunk. They were meeting places where people could socially congregate, share gossip, and arrange mutual help within their communities. Until last March, that’s exactly the role that my local served as well.
Now before you ask me if I’ve ever heard of Facebook or Next Door, hear me out. I want to make a point that applies to the business world as well. Ask yourself if your social media interactions with your friends and family are as satisfying as Facetiming or Zooming. Probably not. Then ask yourself if those video-based interactions are as good as sitting in the same room or on the next bar stool with a friend. I highly doubt it.
What’s been lost during this pandemic, an economic crisis that has decimated the restaurant industry, is not just jobs. It’s our ability to do what pubs, and by extension, restaurants, were in part created to do: socially congregate, meet new people, have a laugh or a cry with a friend who you can hug. Every business has suffered that loss to a certain extent. Whether it’s customers, suppliers, or staff, I’m pretty sure none of them are coming to an in-person holiday party this year (at least I hope not).
So the real question isn’t how will the bars and restaurants that survive this get back to that happy in-person social place once this is over. The real question is how will your business?
Category Archives: Thinking Aloud
Public Houses
Filed under food, Thinking Aloud
Dug In
One thing that I’m constantly reminding myself about is being too dug in. Unless you’re preparing for a full assault from an opposing army, being dug in is generally detrimental on a lot of levels. It stops productive discussions which can lead to positive change. It stifles new ideas and “different” thinking. Sometimes, it even works directly to your disadvantage, producing a pyrrhic victory but little else. Let me give you an example.
This one is from the world of politics but ignore that. I use it only because it’s a perfect example of being dug in and how it can work against you in an extreme sense. With me so far? OK.
Kynect is the Kentucky name for Obamacare. During the campaign a year ago for Governor, there was a woman being interviewed who had health problems and her dependent son had serious health issues as well. She told the interviewer that she and her child were able to obtain the healthcare they needed for the first time under the Kynect program. She also said she was voting for the candidate (Bevins) who said he would get rid of Kynect. The interviewer asked if she believed that Bevins would keep his campaign promise and get rid of Kynect. She said that she believed he would. The interviewer asked her why she would vote for someone who she believed would take away the healthcare that she and her son needed. She answered that she had always voted Republican, so she was going to continue to vote Republican.
That’s not a shot at Republicans. I know Democrats who are just as dug in on voting for their party regardless of the candidate’s position on the issues. My point is that you can’t be dug in. It applies to your openness with respect to new ideas. It also applies if you are “stuck” in a job you don’t like, with people (even working virtually) you don’t like. It’s obvious that it’s time for something you DO like and to dig out.
I find those people all the time while helping them explore their way out via franchises. I tell them to keep an open mind and not be dug in. Take time to learn the culture, mission, and vision of the businesses we’re exploring. You want a change, but to reach your goals, it must fit your beliefs. It does you no good to dig out of one situation into one that’s just as bad, or worse.
How dug in are you? Can I help?
Filed under Franchises, Helpful Hints, Thinking Aloud
Can You Believe It’s Thanksgiving?
Happy Foodie Friday. I usually post the Thanksgiving Foodie Friday screed on the Wednesday before the holiday but it’s really the only food topic on my mind today. I’ve also made it a habit to repost an item I wrote a dozen years ago (can you believe I’ve been at this since 2008?) about the three “F”s of this holiday. Given how unusual 2020 has been (I’m being kind) so far, I thought I’d revisit the topic again.
Back then I wrote that “F” number one is Family. It’s the thing for which I am most thankful. That’s still true. If anything, I’m more thankful now because I’ve not seen my family in person for almost a year. We’ve lost folks who used to attend our dinner every year and others have moved far away. It’s an old truism that you can’t choose your family and for that, I’m thankful because I would never have chosen so well. Facetime isn’t face-to-face time and you can’t hug over Zoom. Let’s all hope this is a one-year abnormality.
“F” number two is Feasting. It’s weird not cooking for 25 and honestly, it feels less like a feast than it does a regular dinner. Still, I’m thankful that there is food of any sort on the table when I see pictures of many people struggling. Hunger is a problem here in the 12th richest nation. I’m not going to fry a turkey this year in the spirit of this year being totally different (let’s hope so). Buttermilk brined and spatchcocked, it will roast relatively quickly in the oven and what used to be days of prep and cooking will be greatly condensed.
“F” number three is Football. That won’t change although it’s weird listening to pumped in fan noise when the stands are mostly empty. It’s great that we have sports on this and other days to keep us amused but I worry about the athletes and the virus. I love the annual ritual of gathering to watch the games. I don’t love that the always-present risk of injury athletes live with is compounded by the risk from the virus.
This is how the original post concluded. Hard to believe that a dozen years later and in the midst of a pandemic not much has changed in my thinking.
Our family has been challenged this year by many of the same things that millions of other families face. Illnesses, the economy, wacky weather, and the other day-to-day events that keep it…interesting… Even so, we’re very fortunate and tomorrow will be a day to remember that. If anything, the adversity has pulled us even closer.
I’m very thankful, among other things, for those of you that take the time to read the screed every once in a while. I appreciate your comments when I hit home and even more so when I miss the mark. Have a great holiday!
Filed under food, Thinking Aloud, What's Going On
Consult Keith 