In August of 2007, the then President Bush said the economy was thriving and he was doing what he could to keep it strong. He even went as far as quoting Hank Paulson by saying,
'This is far and away the strongest global economy I've seen in my business lifetime.'
That was only a month or so before I signed the lease at 636 Park Place in Brooklyn, Homage.
It is somewhat ironic that in January of 2008 with the recession looming ahead, I still decided to go ahead with my life-long dreams of opening a restaurant. I could have called it quits, returned the keys to my landlord and pocketed my meagre life savings. Funny this may sound to you, but I was sure that my fortune was hidden within the depths of some good food. I did not necessarily have any great ideas about how to make the next famous Chipotle BBQ or pesto sauce or perfect fried pumpkin.
What I possessed however was drive, passion and a little imagination. What I didn't bargain for was how difficult it would be in my attempt to grow a business during a recession.
Difficult. A lot of work, a lot of ingenuity, a great deal of creativity and many, many sleepless nights amidst the blogging and yelping and complaining customers.
Well, at the end of my first year, which is now, I have learnt several lessons and I'm sure there are many more lessons to be learnt.
For one, I am learning how to run a tighter operation, paying more attention to not only quality but costs. Learning how to conserve product and energy and wages in order to get through the next couple of months. I've also learned that staff enthusiasm and attitudes go a long, long way. Gotta stop being shy and work on my 'Welcome to Homage' salutation.....
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