Oops! Our third birthday is this week, but not on May 27, as previously reported. We actually opened for business on Tuesday May 29th, three years ago tomorrow. Funny how time flies, eh? I do remember that I was down on Lynchburg Street at the Health Department office, picking up our permit at 4:30 that afternoon; we opened for business at Brooks Tavern a half hour later...We recorded 10 customers that first night - and considering we were doing a very soft opening, that was about right. The second night we served 11. By the second Saturday we were in the triple digits. Did we feel like a success already? Not by a long shot. The bane of any new restaurant is being very busy - because you are the new kid on the block and everyone wants to check you out - but not being very practiced at handling that artificial volume so soon. So no, things did not go well at first, we had our fair share of missteps and mistakes. Most of them were documented here, right from the start. And I honestly believe it was a solid year before I could say we had a real "team" working together in the dining room. Looking back, making it to three years really does seem like an accomplishment, given the effort it took to put Brooks Tavern in place and the continuing effort it took/takes to keep everything up to the levels we (and you!) demand. And it won't ever end - we will constantly be challenging our staff to do better, train better, cook better, serve better. We never want to become complacent. You know the 4-H motto, don't you? To Make the Best Better. Well, that could be the BT motto too.
As for the winners of yesterday's gift certificate drawings - they are Brad Johnson of Chestertown and Dr. Gary Schiff of Kennedyville! They will be getting that phone call later today. (You know, it has been really fun phoning people with the winning news - this must be how the folks from Publishers Clearinghouse must feel, don't you think? although of course on a much larger scale!)
Anyway, once again our heartfelt thanks for staying with us through our growing pains and beyond. We could not do it without you.
As for the winners of yesterday's gift certificate drawings - they are Brad Johnson of Chestertown and Dr. Gary Schiff of Kennedyville! They will be getting that phone call later today. (You know, it has been really fun phoning people with the winning news - this must be how the folks from Publishers Clearinghouse must feel, don't you think? although of course on a much larger scale!)
Anyway, once again our heartfelt thanks for staying with us through our growing pains and beyond. We could not do it without you.
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