Tonight was a weird night. The flow was off. First turn was quiet. 2nd turn was busy and tables weren’t turning. Just weird.

That being said. There were lots of folks in tonight that I knew. A couple who was in last night and came back tonight. The sweetest older lesbian couple that I’ve ever met. A couple who come in once a week. Another couple that just got back from Hawaii. A lovely couple who stop in every 10 days or so who were just in for drinks.

As I was driving my 45 minutes home tonight I was rehashing the evening. What worked? What I wish I’d done differently. You know the stuff that keeps me awake at 3:00 in the morning.

I sometimes think my staff thinks I just come in and make decisions off the cuff. Meanwhile, I’m awake at 4:00 trying to figure out how to make their lives easier.

So in the middle of the rehash I realized something. I now know more of my guests than ever in my life.

At David’s we didn’t take reservations so I never knew anyone’s name. I was also in the kitchen a lot so I wasn’t the face of the restaurant.

At RiRa I knew two regulars. And they both used to work there. Two. I worked for two years and never met anyone. It was really an office job. And a kitchen job.

But at my new job I’m at the door a lot. I return ALL the phone calls. I know everyone’s name. I know their kids. I know their jobs.

And I love it.

The cute lesbian couple asked me tonight when I could take a Friday night off to come to their home for dinner. Another gentleman keeps asking me to come have drinks on his front porch which over looks the ocean. Another couple has repeatedly asked me to come over on my day off to use their pool.

I love how great our guests are.

It feels amazing.

And as the season starts to ramp up, there are so many more people to meet.

I can’t wait!