Stay the Course

Why does it seem to be getting more and more difficult to stay the true intended course of our missive? We are a full service restaurant that has managed to stay relevant in the face of rampant fickleness and technological forces.  Our biggest assault has been the unfortunate reality that technology has forced its sharp talons into our space. We are, as many businesses, the victim of constant badgering about what WE need to make our business more profitable, more streamline, more visible. What is so laughable is that after you purchase all of these products you have no profit margin to speak of.

This is our life: 

This is the tool you need to have an online reservation presence ($425.00 a month),

This is the tool you need to take and process orders ($486.00 a month),

This is the inventory management system that you need to stay on top of food costs which happens (no way!) to be integrated with your POS system (Point of Sale not Piece of Shite…or is it? $300.00)

This  is the marketing tool that you need to reach all of your customers and annoy them at the same time…you really need this or you are toast (no pun intended) $199.00 a month).

This is the tool you need to protect yourself from a cyber threat ($99.00 a year),

This is the tool that you need to manage your website ($59.00 a month).

This is the tool that you need to make sure your website and its address remain viable ($19.00 a month).

This is the tool to make sure the menu stays updated which is an impossible task because there is not one single tool that erases all of the previous menus to update to the current ($41.00 a month)

This is the liability, workman’s comp insurance you need to protect your business (I will let you guess).

And the list goes on, but I think you catch my drift. All of these things are distractions to make other companies wealthier off of the backs of the struggling, want to do the right thing independent businesses. Did I mention the credit card fees? Those rewards that are received from using that rewards card are made off the backs of the businesses, but are marketed as a feel good “aren’t we the best credit card company out there” value-added perk.  Businesses pay a minimum of 3% of their credit card sales for the privilege of the use of the credit cards. You are thanking the wrong business if you are thanking VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS OR DISCOVER for those rewards. For example, if one chooses to use a credit card to pay  a $100 transaction, the business  can only capture $97 of that said transaction. Now if you were in a negotiation and someone said to you I am going to have a 3% advantage over you and you have nothing to say about it, how would you proceed? Most level headed people would understand the gross unfairness of that equation. However, we blindly move through the world without examination of the equity of situations. We have been trained that power is the most important drug and whatever we do we must always be in the position of power or we are weak. I guess we, as small business owners are considered weak. The attitude or is it an ideology (even worse) that we must pursue power at any cost without apology is pretty f%$*ed up, don’t you think?

We, at Out of the Fire have stumbled our way through the dark to arrive at a place where we value safety, security and integrity above popularity and power. We have found our course and we will remain on course, however unorthodox and against the mainstream. We are committed to what we are doing, we are proud of what we are doing and we are unapologetic about saying “no” if that means it will compromise the integrity of the ecosystem. All of you that choose to spend time with us are part of that ecosystem. You have assisted us in forging our way. You have witnessed our commitment to our community, but our number one priority is a commitment to ourselves. If we don’t have that, we can’t show up for anyone. We are doing this together, which means if we have to say no then there is a good reason. It doesn’t mean we don’t like you, we are being unreasonable, or we are trying to make your life more difficult. It means we are, with good reason, making a decision that is best for the entire ecosystem. What does that mean? It means it doesn’t add additional stress, it doesn’t deviate from the integrity of what we are doing and it is in line with our values. We created this as a healthy community space. In community spaces people feel valued, there is equity, security and people don’t feel leveraged or monetized by their actions. That means people are engaged in their strengths and not exposed by their weaknesses.

As a patron of Out of the Fire, you can understand the scope of what we are trying to do by being in our physical presence. You have witnessed our dedication to staying on course. This is not grasped  by reading and looking at pictures and comments on line. No amount of “thumbs up” or “smiley faces” can translate into your presence while you are sitting in the warmth of our care. We are exhausted and weary in an attempt to stay on top of all of the online and virtual “help” that has almost consumed us. We are committed to remaining steadfast in our 25th year of business. We commit to be kind, patient, present, creative and compassionate with each other which will radiate out to all of you that choose to spend time with us. We commit to our motto: Eat Well. Be Well. Give Back. Thank you for remaining on the journey with us!