Day 11: It's All in the Delivery

Sure wish I’d kept a better diary, but those first years were hectic and there didn’t seem time to journal, but only to do. So I especially appreciated receiving back our 1987 Christmas letter from a friend several years ago who was cleaning out her desk. 

Here we documented using 1100 pounds of flour and 360 dozen eggs our first year in 1987. Just for comparison, in 2016 we used 2650 pounds of flour, 1020 dozen eggs, 1800 pounds of sugar (surely half of that was for the hummingbirds) and 2100 pounds of cheese!  We have certainly been blessed to serve so many travelers!

If you have visited you know our driveway can be a challenge especially during busy mealtimes, so when you put that together with all the delivery trucks, it can be precarious! Fortunately one of our caring drivers, Rich, took the ditch instead of hitting any parked cars, but you can imagine, getting the loaded semi out took some very skilled tow truck maneuvers (thanks Bob’s Towing) along with the wench ability of numerous pine trees!

Operating a busy restaurant does have its daily challenges, from the guesswork of cooking or baking enough but not too much, keeping inventories, ordering the right amount of perishables, organizing everything so you can find it, to the getting the dishes done and making sure you are ready for the Health Inspector’s next visit. Oh, and making certain the food all tastes great!

 

We have enjoyed our business partnerships with many wonderful suppliers. It is impossible to count the number of times my understanding sales people have make a special trip to drop off a critical shorted item or called me over and over so we didn’t miss an order deadline. 

And of course there are the thoughtful new ideas they offer to keep us current with new food trends. I'll admit, occasionally it’s a no brainer, like when one of my wine distributors showed up with our “Lois” wine.  How could I say no?

Written by Lois Smith