Last weekend, we reopened for business for the umpteenth time (we're talking about the restaurant Bokumo).
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we've had repeated stop-and-go situations, and this time, after a fairly long stop, it feels like we're finally able to go.
We had about 30 people come on both Friday and Saturday.
I'm grateful that there were so many people who were waiting for us to reopen. I feel a little more at ease knowing that there is still some demand for eating out.
I was happy that customers came, but this time there was something else that made me happy.
It was a gesture of consideration from a former staff member.
One of our staff members moved to Nagano at the end of last year, and she sent us some local Shine Muscat grapes to coincide with our reopening on Friday.
When the Shine Muscat arrived, our current staff member S-chan said with great excitement, "Manager! This feels as heavy as a small dog!" I was really surprised at how heavy it was.
Once you eat one, it's like a complete dessert. Ah, so luxurious. Paired with a slightly sweet Riesling, it was perfect.
Thank you. I'm glad that our guests enjoyed our food and we all had a great time together.
Then on Saturday, a former part-time worker who was a university student at the time came over for a drink for the first time in a long time.
"Manager, I've been waiting for us to meet again. Actually, I have something to announce. I got married!" he said.
What's more, he says his wife is pregnant with a baby.
Wow, that naive boy who easily finished off two bowls of rice at the staff meal and received cheers from the crowd while playing the keyboard at Bokumo's anniversary party is now my dad...
I got a little teary-eyed.
I feel like I've been given encouragement for two days in a row saying, "Restaurants, do your best."
However, based on my experience with going after stops so far, I think there will probably be a lot of quiet days on weekdays for a while to come.
I guess I'll just have to wait while cleaning and getting ready. I might feel depressed thinking that there really isn't any demand for eating out after all.
It's times like these that we need to persevere and remember to treasure our connections. I felt this connection with the customers who came back and with the two former staff members.
Of course, at the same time, Bokumo Wine will continue to stock and sell fine New Zealand wines.
If you find a New Zealand wine you like on Bokumo, you can order it online right away. I would like to gradually make it like that.
Oh, but.
If I can drink delicious New Zealand wine at home, I don't need to go to Bokumo. That's something I need to think about from now on.
By the way, the hall staff who have been working again since the restaurant reopened have been so perfect that I feel stupid for having been worried. They are very excellent. I am grateful.
On the other hand, when I was taking the order, I forgot to operate the app and panicked. It seems that it was my brain that had stopped working... I quickly put my brain into go mode.
