What a ride it’s been. When we opened for business on January 19, 2020, we did not foresee the obstacles that would be thrown our way. Luckily, both Mark and I are pretty flexible people and able to reroute with ease, but that doesn’t mean it has been easy.
With every new venture there is a learning curve. There are things you cannot learn from a book. So here are our top ten moments that we could not have prepared for:
10. Yes. A 1000 degree oven can feel miserably hot when it is 100+ degrees outside. So hydrate. (But it sure feels nice in January.)
9. Buying ice cream at Fry’s after you’ve stopped serving and expecting it not to melt by the time you’ve closed up shop is unreasonable.
8. Wind really can lift an iPad up into the air and fling it to the ground. Lesson learned.
7. It’s critical to double check the tailgate to the truck, making sure it is securely closed, or you will lose a cooler somewhere down the road. Good-bye sauce. Whereabouts still pending…
6. Do not fail to get the left-over dough out of the very-heavy cooler before loading it at the end of the night. Did you get the dough out? No? (insert choice of words) Here we go again.
5. Be sure to check for missing items, such as your phone left on the trailer wheel. And if you do lose that phone, quickly access the tracing app. You may just get lucky and find it in the ditch on the opposite side of the road down Shea. Yes, it still works!
4. Dough is temperamental. It is not the same species in winter as in summer. Adjust accordingly.
3. Set up the canopy before it starts raining. Really important to do it before.
2. Festival cancelled because of a virus? Call this other event. It’s still going on. We're in and all set for the weekend! (A day later) This one is cancelled too? All right. We’ll think of something. Carry on.
Through it all, we’ve continued to smile because we love our customers, many of whom have become friends. Some have mentioned they know the day-of-the-week because it is Thursday and it is routine to get pizza on the Avenue. Some have mentioned our pizza has been their saving grace and has kept them going through this difficult time. A small slice of normalcy you could say. We’ve loved our collaboration with Bone Haus Brewing – what goes better together than artisan pizza and crafted beer?
So, as we head out for the summer, we want to say ‘thank you’! And this is our number one moment:
1. Getting to know great customers, great people, and hearing their stories. This is the beauty, and essence, of small businesses! We couldn't do it without you.
We’ll be back in September, ready to go with our base menu and new specialty pizzas that we are already working on. In the meantime, take care and most importantly, don’t stop believin’!
Firefly