Kevin convinced me that I should look at a bigger picture with this Restaurant Workers Network thing. He thinks it would be better to make it an Eastern Shore Restaurant Workers Network. So, I did. Here it is. I had to delete the old one (sorry!) but he had a good point. Plus I realized that anyone who wants to "join" needs to say where they actually work, in order for this to be a really useful tool. Otherwise I just can't imagine that people would take each other seriously, if they make up where they work - or put "Private" as the name of the place: that threw me off a bit!!
Anyway, it's just a beginning and I am just sort of trying to figure it out at this point. Any advice, as usual, is helpful. I've all but given up the poor Blue Dome Hospitality idea - as many of you predicted - but I still feel like restaurateurs in this area could work together for the common good. We could help the newer members of our community, we could band together for a charitable event (i.e. Taste of the Town), we could purchase in bulk, we could share staff. And a proven fact is that the more restaurants in a given locale, the merrier for all. This is the reason for a "Restaurant Row" or a "Food Court" or a "Little Italy". Look at all the thriving restaurants in Easton and St. Michael's. Places like this become a dining destination. There are those who feel threatened by every new business, who blame a loss of their customer base on what someone else is doing to them, rather than the way they may be running their own business. But to me, it's a classic case of changing with the times. What's worked for 5, 10 years may not work now. Customers become more and more sophisticated - they go to other areas to dine and learn about new trends and specialties; they want us to grow and change with them.
Another soap box! There are always challenges in any business, but in these economic times the challenges are just more interesting! It's not always easy, but no one said it would be...
Anyway, it's just a beginning and I am just sort of trying to figure it out at this point. Any advice, as usual, is helpful. I've all but given up the poor Blue Dome Hospitality idea - as many of you predicted - but I still feel like restaurateurs in this area could work together for the common good. We could help the newer members of our community, we could band together for a charitable event (i.e. Taste of the Town), we could purchase in bulk, we could share staff. And a proven fact is that the more restaurants in a given locale, the merrier for all. This is the reason for a "Restaurant Row" or a "Food Court" or a "Little Italy". Look at all the thriving restaurants in Easton and St. Michael's. Places like this become a dining destination. There are those who feel threatened by every new business, who blame a loss of their customer base on what someone else is doing to them, rather than the way they may be running their own business. But to me, it's a classic case of changing with the times. What's worked for 5, 10 years may not work now. Customers become more and more sophisticated - they go to other areas to dine and learn about new trends and specialties; they want us to grow and change with them.
Another soap box! There are always challenges in any business, but in these economic times the challenges are just more interesting! It's not always easy, but no one said it would be...
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