Profit & Loss

It’s three AM on a Thursday and I am so tired I forgot my dog in the parking lot today.  For those of you that know me, this is quite a feat, due to my level of obsession with canines, mine especially. Despite this, my tiny brain simply won’t stop chugging along in its desperate attempt to process the many lessons of these last few weeks. 

On paper Ethanology is stronger than ever, coming into the slower seasons in a position of strength. Also, it finally rained so that means there will be whiskey (insert huge sigh of relief). And yet, there has been loss… painful and surprising, rearing its ugly head. The past few weeks have been a healthy reminder of why hospitality is such a dynamic and difficult job, and that unlike most other jobs, the renumeration isn’t guaranteed to be commensurate with the effort.
 
Hospitality at any level can feel a lot like being the permanent host of a party. Awesome when things are going smoothly… frustrating when things are not (cue person attempting to sneak wine into my establishment multiple times)… and sometimes even disgusting, like a urinal clogged for the 10thtime (dear chewers, this device is meant for your wee only, hence the name).  At the end of the day you can often leave feeling like a deflated balloon, especially us ladies in the industry, as we typically experience more harassment and attempted debasement (although this is strictly not tolerated in my establishment).  This industry has its rewards, but it can come at a high price of long hours, unpredictable days, and lots of troubleshooting.  Some days, like today, this stuff overshadows all of the wonderful things, but only until it is properly mentally sorted, and lessons are learned. 

So as I mentioned, the last few weeks though rewarding, have been a bit of a ball buster. This isn’t without positive consequence however.  Nick and I have come out the other side feeling more confident in our own ability to pinch hit and that we can rely on each other to pick up any slack in the line.  We have learned a lot of good lessons on what we want the future of our company to be like, and who we can count on to share in that dream.  All in all, many lessons, with many more to come. And at the end of the day, my day job is still pretty damn cool.

-Geri