Cosmo's Food for Thought

 Happy Anniversary!......No not our wedding anniversary...... Ella Mae & I do not celebrate ours until August 22 & wow, 42 years at that.....This is the Cafes, One Year Anniversary & what a year it's been.....I was working for the Phi Si fraternity on Comstock Ave up @ SU.....I had just begun the summer break when I saw an ad on craigslist for the lease of the Cafe.....I had looked at this place about 4 years earlier when it was again on the market, but I decided that it just didn't feel right back than.....This time all seemed different & I being the always 'entrepeneur' could not let it slip by this time....It was fully equipped & Diana (the proprietor) had done a great job making this truly, 'turn key'.....I did have a few reservations, one being I would be leaving a great job cooking for the guys & with summers off to boot!....A regular paycheck bi-weekly, with all the deductions taken out & even a promise of getting some hea

Friday turned out to be a very good day @ the Cafe.....We even sold out of Haddock & Shrimp!.....One not so pleasant moment was when a man came in & asked for a coffee to go......I 'hooked' him up & as I told him where the lids & fixings were to be found I rang up the sale.....Well that's when it turned a little ugly.....Our 12oz to go Paul De Lima coffee is $1.75 & with tax $1.89......When I announced the cost he says "kind of high isn't it!".....I can take a lot & I believe my service to our customers is beyond reproach, so I am insulted & take this very personally, after all it's my name on the door.....I reply that he certainly is welcome to go elsewhere & make the purchase....I know, not very 'cool', but those of you that know me or of my business tactics, know that I have never cheated anyone, ever..... & greed is a word that burns my tongue when I just verbalize it.....So I explain in so many words that ev

Well another week is coming to an end @ the Cafe....It has been a very quiet one, I believe that it is due to the very extreme heat & also it's vacation time in CNY....We can only hang on & hope that our sales will increase as the summer fades to fall.....The good news is that we are approaching our one year anniversary!.....I'll post our plan here for the event we have planned.... I am very proud of this milestone as this journey has been strewn with lots of obstacles....No, I am not looking for any pity, I am just telling it like it is......When I decided to run this business I came in with eyes wide open & knew it was going to be a tough go.....The location, a building only 50% occupied & in need of some updating, an area that is almost 100% industrial which leaves little room for drive by or walk in customers, are only a few of the road blocks I knew we would encounter......Now add in the fact it takes a long time to build trust & get 'folks'

We had a lot of laughs this week @ the Cafe.......It was fun doing what we all enjoy & making all of it not seem like work.....We laughed @ ourselves & yes sometimes our customers, but of course all in good fun....Some notable quotes about this are: EM & I also got a chance to visit our old friends John & Sue @ their beautiful lake home on Brantingham Lake.....We continued the laugh-a-thon here about 85 miles from home......We even reminisced about our times @ the 'Bagel Station' in Sherrill where we all met.....What a great time we are having....It is so nice to get a chance to relax & recharge our batteries....Thank you Lord for the gift of laughter & friendship.....As always thanks for allowing me to share & for all your support & prayers.....If you come to the Cafe on Monday, I will be the one who is semi- comatose......

 Well Monday @ the Cafe went well today.....We had a better sales day than normal (hooray!) & Stan & Trevor both brought their A -game....We all do make a great team....Tomorrow Julie will step in as Trevor hits the books.....So no gaps in service here!.....I have been perplexed by our lack of profitability & have now begun to analyze all of our purchases.....It can get a little crazy trying to zero in on every single item we use here, but it is a definite must do if we are to turn the corner into year 2 & survive.....I love this business, there is no better feeling than giving someone a good meal @ a fair price.....We are still receiving praise for our food & service so we just need to stay the course......When this building is fully occupied it will go along way in bringing customers in.....We will have a base that could help us through the leaner times.....I am so thankful for all those who have taken time to give us some 'play'.....Local business folk