I’m getting used to the idea of a partnership with Bitsy. I admit to experiencing a certain amount of nervousness — I know her well enough to be somewhat wary of her. She is a strong person.
It’s not as if I’m relinquishing control to her, but she gets some influence. I’ll always have final say, and, so far, that’s working well.
Besides, she’s too busy to get in the way.
But this will work. I don’t foresee a problem. At least not for now.
When last we met, Bitsy made an intriguing suggestion. “How about if I arrange a meeting for you with our chef at the Golden Pillar? It might be worthwhile to share information and techniques both ways between our two restaurants.”
“Great idea!” I reply excitedly. I would love more insight into her world. “I’d like to include my chef, Cecil, as well.”
“No problem,” Bitsy says, walking toward the back of the room. “I’ll call the Golden Pillar right now to see if tomorrow morning is OK.”
Five minutes later, she returns, phone still to her ear. “They’ll be there at 9 AM, thanks.” She hangs up and turns in my direction. “How’s that for quick action?”
My smile is my response to her.
She leaves and I immediately go to the kitchen to tell Cecil about our appointment tomorrow morning at the Golden Pillar. He is all for it. I’ve already decided that, if the meeting tomorrow goes well and he is really into interacting and exchanging information with the Golden Pillar’s chef, he will deserve a raise and I’ll see to it that he gets one.
It occurs to me, and I will suggest to Bitsy, that it might be good to extend her idea and encourage our chefs to meet and compare notes at other times as well. Cross pollination, sort of — in addition to the exchange of information and learning how each other operates, in an emergency, the chefs could possibly be pressed into service to help each other, should it ever becomes necessary. I make a mental note to bring this up to Bitsy at our next meeting.
I have to say, I’m relieved. I can feel the burdens lifting a bit. The financial pressure that I’ve felt in recent months, while still present, should also lessen. I anticipate being able to hire a few people, a Godsend that alone will do a lot to improve things.
And now, it’s on to Christmas.
I begin digging out old decorations and mentally discard several of them. I have never liked the wreaths. Better than having nothing, I guess, but not by much. I couldn’t justify the expense of replacing them so I would just try not to look at them and hope that no one else would notice them either. Now, with Bitsy’s investment in the Riverside, I have a little financial security so I should be able to update our decorations — another positive outcome of the interaction between our restaurants.
Makes me feel good.