In my previous blog posts, I wrote all about my early years
as a restaurant owner and my financial struggles and desperate measures to try
and make a buck. I told you about how I redefined the restaurant and turned
things around. One of my tactics to
bring in revenue was to do brunch. This proved to be unsuccessful in regards to
bringing in a plethora of new customers but it was a success in a totally
unexpected way.
Brunch brought in two guests who quickly became weekly
regulars. Most Sundays on their walk back from church, “Mr and Mrs. X” would
stop in for brunch. On most Sundays they were the only ones who stopped in for
brunch. They seemed like a very kind couple and were always very upbeat and
positive.
I became close enough with this couple -- or maybe I just so
badly wanted someone to be honest with. When they asked how things were going,
I started openly telling them the truth. Each week they would come back, sit in
an empty dining room and I would give them more details about our financial
struggle.
What happened next was one of the kindest gestures of stupidity
I have ever encountered. Mr. X stopped in one day and told me that he and Mrs.
X were going to give us a loan. He told me to get together a list of the most
pressing debts. He had no idea the journey he was about to embark on and
everyone (I mean everyone) told him he was eFFn’ nuts to even considered
helping us out. It was a total pay it forward move, they knew the immense risk
and, for whatever reason, they had more faith in us than anyone else. They believed
we were a sincere couple who would work hard to get them their money back and
they really wanted help. During a recent
conversation, Mr. X said he was just tired
of hearing my weekly whimpering at his breakfast table. But, I don’t believe
this.
After going back and forth with a list of the most pressing
financial issues and keeping a bunch of skeletons hidden in the closet, he gave
me a check for $35,000 and an interest-only loan agreement. Over the years he
has worked with us when we couldn’t pay the interest payment and even loaned us
additional monies as those skeletons came out of the closet. Like proud parents, Mr. & Mrs. X love
showing off the place to friends and family
Over the last few years we were able to start paying
principle and interest and slowly have reduced the loan. Looking back I feel
this kind gesture was instrumental in my success today. Not because it kept the
lights on, lawsuits at bay and the taxes paid. But also because of the
generosity and trust this couple put in my wife and me and our vision. Failing
was not an option; I could not and would not let these people down. I still
work hard every day, with this loan in mind, and I will forever be indebted to
this couple…long after the principle and interest is paid off.
