I haven’t done a HoCo Holler! post for a while. I’m happy to share this story (with permission) about someone who used their personal influence to make a difficult moment better - - inviting community members to see things in a different way and to feel empathy for people they may not know.
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We love our restaurants in Howard County, don’t we? We love to eat out, we love to talk about our restaurant meals, we love to try new restaurants. We eagerly await the opening of new places and get cranky and impatient if there are delays.
The dark side of all this is the tendency of some folks to use their social capital to go online and snipe about imperfect restaurant experiences, encouraging others to pile on and validate their views. These amateur reviewers can be savage.
The damage they may do is significant.
There’s no law that says you can’t go online and vent. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Recently one of our independent restaurants in Howard County ceased operations: Elliott’s Craft Kitchen. (Owned by Ryan Fichter) In an online group, negative comments began to comments began to trickle in as folks responded to the news. You know the kind. “Well, I’m not surprised…etc, etc, etc.”
Then something unexpected happened. The following words appeared:
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP
I read that Elliots Craft Kitchen had closed their doors for good. I want to wish them well in all future endeavors. Hold your head high, most people will never understand how hard it is to open a restaurant. You feel so underappreciated even after working 70 hours a week sometimes. People get in this business because they feel like they have something to contribute to the lives of people, to make them smile from serving you an incredible meal. This career path can be unforgiving and yet satisfying at the same time. It is a love and hate relationship. You love the creative, artistic chaos, and hate how it robs your time with love ones, your family. I am also part of this brotherhood, this sisterhood of being a restaurateur. You have to eat and sleep this as you rely on a staff you pray are good. You invest everything,.money, time and resources and hope that you can get through another payroll. Restaurateurs are special people, unique and ready for war. They are resourceful and balance not getting evicted and still being able to buy food for the week. most people will never gamble on their livelihood like we do. We want the smoke, literally. I applaud you for being brave, following your hearts and taking a swing at the ball. This chapter may have not ended the way you would have wanted it to end but you followed your dreams. Keep your head high and like my friend Donnie Simpson used to say: shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will still be amongst stars. God bless.
The post was from Ed Reynoso, owner of Celia’s Cuban Cuisine in the Hickory Ridge Village Center.
His words transformed the conversation. Reynoso’s vivid description of life in food service was wise and generous. He made the human beings behind the news of a restaurant failure real for readers. He did not need to take the time to do this. After all, another restaurant is just competition to him - - right?
This is exhausting work. You undertake it at great personal and financial risk. And every person involved, at every pay level, is a real human being who deserves to be valued.
You do not have to like every restaurant. You are never required to patronize establishments you don’t care for. But when you go online, you have the opportunity to use your social capital- - your personal influence - - for good or evil.
I do not know Mr. Reynoso nor have I been to his restaurant (yet). This is what I do know. He sized up a social media conversation where he saw that a fellow restauranteur was down and out, while folks chit-chatted about his demise. He could have walked by on the other side of the road. He didn’t.
Go and do likewise.
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