The Crown & Crumpet in San Francisco is so utterly enchanting I was convinced that I wanted to open my very own highly stylized and branded tea room in Toronto. I pictured myself having tea and scones with people from all walks of life, hosting a myriad of special occasions and generally bringing joy to people each day through a cup of perfectly brewed tea.
I went so far as to put together a business plan and even proposed the idea to consultants at Ryerson University in my very own small-time version of Dragon's Den. The idea was well-received by almost everyone I shared it with, including the consultants who admitted that while nobody in their right mind (including them) would invest their own money in it --- it would likely be successful if I sold alcoholic beverages and high-margin gifts. No problem there!
This was all fine. I proceeded; I picked out names; I designed logos; I chatted the ears off of anybody who was kind enough to listen, until I realized what was probably obvious to anyone who knows me even the slightest ... I have no desire to serve people food. Food as a business (or even as a past time) holds zero interest for me. The only thing I've ever served (well) is cocktails.
My enthusiasm officially started to wane when I was cautioned upon reading "Restaurants for Dummies" or some other such title that, "When (not if) the dishwasher is sick ... you have to be ready to jump right in and take over." It needs not to be said the part about cleaning the toilets did nothing to further my excitement ...
It was, of course, the decor that I was most interested in. Still, this place is like a dream to me. I know for a fact if I could wake up and go somewhere that looked like this every day (without entering a kitchen) I would be a very, very happy girl. Who wouldn't be?
Amber
No comments:
Post a Comment