To any of you that are married, u have uttered those words. Myself, I said them 19 years ago. I really dont sit and ponder on my wedding vows, maybe we all should and therefore divorce would not be so high. In the last 8 months those words have been tested and cherished. Last July I lost my kitchen manager. He had been with me almost 3 years, here I was in the middle of a recession, no money and no manager. Shelby, my husband ,said he would take over temporarily. That has been 8 months ago and he is still here. Shelby and I are complete opposites. I'm a morning person, I'm hyper and loud. I get cranky when I dont eat and when I do eat.... well I eat alot more than him and get GIDDY over great food. Everything in my life has a place, I'm neat. He is a night owl, never wakes up to an alarm clock, he is quite, unless he is with friends. He would rather have a Dr.Pepper than a great meal. Im not sure he knows what a closet is for. The two things we have in common..... we adore our boys and we both have a crazy sense of humor, we laugh alot. We now share something else... The love of the CIG. Shelby's life has changed so much in the last year, and he has never once complained. He went from owning his own busines, working the hours he wanted to and making a nice living, to working at the CIG, getting up at 3:30 everyday, working 12 to 15 hours a day  and working for free. The change for both of us have been hard. We try not to bring work home with us, but well ya know we are human. We do not have personal space anymore. He has made my kitchen into a strong force that can hold its own, the best it has ever been, I'm proud of him. We are learning to listen to each other, and yes that is very hard for me. I'm use to everyone at the CIG doing it my way, well sometimes he has a different way....does that tick me off, more than any of u know, but if I just listen, usually great things happen. Shelby loves and respects what the CIG has become, he is my biggest fan. I in return have become his biggest fan. Its not all roses, sometimes I look at him and think I dont even like him and I have to go home with him, seriously yall its hard and for him well I bet he would not put it in those words. A few weeks ago we were short handed in the kitchen, him and I were working side by side hard and determined not to let anything fail. Thats when it hit me, working with your spouse.... we truly had each others back. We work together with a common goal, great food, great service and giving our guest a great show. We are learning to embrace who we are. I dont know if I recommend working with your spouse, we are still learning how to do it, but I do believe this is what the Lord had intended when I opened the CIG 3 years ago.Tomorrow is Valentines day, in 19 years we have never spent the whole day together, but now its different. Have the changes been hard, you betcha, sometimes I miss my alone time at the grill, when I get really mad I'm use to going into my office and everybody letting me cool off..... well now he follows to make sure I'm ok. Does he miss his late nights and no alarm, running his own business, absolutely. We are a work in progress. We are creating a new normal. Where I use to love my alone time in the car to and from the grill, I now share with him and we make compromises, I drive at 3:45 in the am to work and he drives home. I am a woman owner, in a mans world, people assume that he is the owner.... does that bother me yes, I would not be honest if I said it didn't, but I'm learning to deal with that. The last 8 months has changed us, I believe we are better for it, I also believe our marriage is better. We have a new level of respect. I really do not know how long we will work together, but I'm beginning to like it. Can u imagine working everyday with your spouse? Its hard but for right  now it feels right. I'm  blessed to have Shelby apart of the CIG!!!! 

Back in August when the recession was still kicking my butt, I was trying to figure out what could I do to generate more business. The recession was hurting my guest also.... hmm what to do? One of my girls said something about a lunch punch card, "ya know something our guest could use after so many times, giving them something". Really could this work? would our loyal guest use them? I talked to my printer, told him what I was looking for and in October our Breakfast/lunch punch cards were born. A bright red cheery card with 10 gold stars on them. Every time a guest visits they receive a punch, a heart whole punch!  The little red cards have generated not only business, they have created excitement. I have had soo much fun when I get to punch that 10 star and I get to buy my guest their meal. Through the grill u will hear the girls yell WOOHOO, they get excited for our guest when its their free meal. I feel that I get to honor my guest and buy their meal, its my way to say "Thank You". Since the end of October the CIG has handed out over 2000 cards, WOW its so exciting it makes me GIDDY!!!! Some of my loyal guest will not use them, I guess they feel as though they are taking something from me, others on their 10 punch order a steak, salad, sides... the whole works, which is wonderful thats what they are for.... to make them feel special. One day I had a group of 4 regulars come in, they asked to see me, as I approached the table they all had their cards out, today would be ALL of their 10 punches. I told them how Awesome that their lunch was on me, I was obviously more excited than they were......OK, whats up guys... "Could I afford all of their cards today, did they need to take turns using them? This is why I LOVE my guest. That's when I told them everytime I punch a card I'm giving u my heart (heart hole punch, get it,I know pretty cheesy, but that's me) I love these cards, if I'm frustrated, I tell them I cant wait to punch them, if they are trying to coax one of the girls to give them mutliple punches we came up with the phrase "Fraudulent punch carding" direct result...termination not really, but they love to hear it. On Mondays in January it was double punch days and boy was there alot of punching going on. This little red card I have come to love, everyday I sit in the quiet of my office and I get to see how many meals I had the honor of buying, usually between 20 and 30 a day, I just feel its the coolest thing ever. Are they a pain for my girls? YES. When the line is out the door and I'm telling them "Drop tickets and move tables", they are busy punching cards and sharing excitement for every guest. What an amazing blessing, out of a recession and a great need, this little card has brought so much joy probably more to me than my guest. Tomorrow I will tell another guest "When I punch u I give u my heart" I mean it, life is full of little blessings and this card has brought many!!!! 

Wednesday February 2, 2011

Im not full of wisdom or inspirational sayings, (alot of peeps say Im full of other things and I agree). I have weathered  many great storms and by the grace of God have always made it through.... tougher, kinder and stronger. The recession hit my restaurant and my family like a full blown hurricane, and at times I did not know how we would survive. When the lord blessed me with the CIG, I did not need an income. My husband had his own business and he was very successful at it. He had provided the kids and I a wonderful life, wanting for nothing. What a blessing that income was not needed from me, it allowed me to hire and pay a full staff and pay all of my bills, without going into any debt. I did not take a dime from the CIG, I worked for free for 2 years. I opened in the fall of 2007. 2008 was a building year and we grew. By 2009 my monthly numbers were more than I imagined. We were being blessed with business. On oneside I was full of excitement and on the otherside my heart was growing concern for my husbands business. The recession was hitting him hard. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would loose his business, Shelby was a fighter.... this does not happen to us..right?The fall of 2009 brought the dreaded news, we were loosing his business. my first thought.... I'm a christian and the Lord is in control, we will be fine. Well both of those statements are true but we still suffer and our hearts break and we try to have no fear and sometimes its hard. I took my 1st paycheck in  October 2009. I was now the financial provider for my precious family and for the 1st time the CIG became a job.My paycheck was 50% less than what we were living on but I was exhilerated to bring home an income and support my husband as he had supported me for 16 years. Of course my story of this recession would not be complete without the other side. The bottom fell out of the CIG in October 2009 the same time his business was closing. It was like someone turned off a faucet. Every month my numbers kept falling, I almost thought it was comical, that now when I needed a paycheck.... my business was suffering. We had the talk with the boys, life is going to be different, our family is going to have to make some big changes. Changes are tough, no we were not one of those families that was going to loose their house but we lost other things. I work alot of hours the minimum is 11 hours a day on up to 15 hours sometimes 7 days a week, together we decided Shelby would umpire and work my caterings so one of us would still be able to take care of our boys. In the spring of last year, things were bad. How ironic each piece of equipment in the kitchen started breaking I prayed before every food bill, that the money would be there, payroll made me sick to my stomach and purchasing new equipment, seriously OH MYLANTA I knew I was at my breaking point. I knew something had to change when one of the girls said to me " You have changed, these 6 months have changed you" Instead of being strong I wanted to start yelling and crying and tell everyone we may have to shut the doors to this place I love so much. I felt broken and defeated and then a quote came to me from the radio.... Is it the Great Recession or will the recession make u GREAT, wow what a powerful phrase. My situation was not changing but my mind set was. I realized the Lord gave me the CIG because he knew my husbands situation was going to happen, he provided a job so we did not loose our house. I still drove to work every morning crying and then would put on a brave face, because I knew even though things were hard we were going to be ok. Its been 15 months since the recession hit the CIG, and I know that my Lord took this wonderful little place and placed it on his shoulders and carried us. I have aged 10 years in a year, and have learned life lessons that I will keep tucked in my heart. My business is coming back and Im starting to breath a little easier, but I will never forget the last months, I do believe I have become that phrase, Not so much that I am great, but I have become a better and stronger person, the recession did not break me. As I sit here and write this tears stream down my face, the CIG is still fragile, and doubts still linger of what will come, but Im here and my family is better and stronger..... and I'm blessed.