12/12/2024
And so...that's the big question, then. What next?
How am I going to earn money to pay my bills? Can I salvage anything from the Edzo's Burger Shop brand that I put every part of myself into and all the good will I've amassed for it over these 15 years? The thousands of social media followers, the hundreds of (mostly good) reviews, the "intellectual property"...does any of that have any value going forward?
That's my next challenge. To figure that out.
In 2022, when we were first re-opening after having been closed for 9 months and remodeling in an attempt to "re-boot" in a post-covid world, I did a GoFundMe fundraiser to try to offset some expenses I was dealing with to get my exhaust hood fixed. Our folks really rallied and I managed to raise nearly $20k in a time when the restaurant wasn't open, I wasn't generating any revenue, and money was flying out to contractors and repair techs at an alarming rate. I was pleasantly shocked at how much money I was able to raise to get me out of the jam I was in. And folks were happy to give it.
I started thinking around then about the sentiment that existed out in the community that would bring about such an outpouring of generosity from folks, what that meant, and whether this sort of model was going to become normal or expected for restaurants at some point in the near future.
We're all familiar with the concept of patronage, where donors support individuals or organizations that they value as being a part of the wider community, and it's long been accepted for artists, but it's not a model that's been employed for businesses that would normally be for-profit, like restaurants. At least not that I've seen.
But if we value the role of certain establishments in our society, if we value certain traditions, certain cultural institutions, shared experiences, or equitably-accessible public spaces, we need to support them in order for them to survive. We all agree that city parks are important so we prevent the impact of the free market from making the land so valuable that it all gets bought and covered up with buildings.
Maybe at some point we will reach a point where beloved stores, restaurants, or venues come to be seen in the same regard and we stop allowing them to exist or vanish based solely on the whims of capitalism and the marketplace.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying taxpayer dollars should be given to keep Edzo's open because we're some kind of special restaurant. Or that restaurants should operate as non-for-profit charities because they do so much good.
What I'm really doing here is trying to figure out whether what I have focused my life on for 30+ years--hospitality-- still has value in this world. And if it does, where does that value come from and how do I and other folks in the hospitality industry pay my bills based on what I can still bring to the table...(and where IS the table, even?)
Is it via social media? Maybe I should start a TikTok channel and try to monetize my social media presence? I mean, people make actual money from that, right? So I've heard. But honestly I can't even fathom how.
The idea of doing another GoFundMe is appealing in many ways, but I'm struggling with how to FRAME it. Other than just asking for money to pay my bills while I search for a new location for Edzo's and try to develop different revenue streams, I don't yet have much of a plan. Can you make a GoFundMe to buy yourself time to make a plan? That seems pretty vague, I'm not sure folks will buy into that. Fund my pivot? Too presumptuous? Maybe.
Between the GoFundMe we did a few years ago, though, and the crowds that turned out for our final week to tell me what Edzo's has meant to their lives over the years, I can't deny the fact that there's a community that's been formed around what I created. And I'm not ready to just let that dissipate into the air and float away. Community and these relationships we've all formed over 15 years seem really important right now, both in general, in our society, and for me personally, at the turning point moment I find myself in at 55 years old. I'm going to do what I can to keep hold of it and nurture it.
One of the guiding principles of how I've run my business over the last 15 years has been "be yourself". I wanted to present an authentic representation of who I truly am through my restaurant and I figured folks that "get it" would appreciate it for what it was and, for some folks, it wouldn't be to their personal taste and that's ok too. Eventually, the result of that became kind of a self-"curated" group of folks who liked me for just exactly who I am. The gratification I get from that has been like nothing I've ever felt in my entire life. It's been so validating. As Sally Field famously said..."you like me. you really like me!"
So if this resonates with you, thanks for supporting me and my vision over the years. I'm exited to share with you what comes next.
Once I figure it out.
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Check out Wefunder while you’re looking into a Gofundme sort of thing. I saw a Chicago bagel place do this recently to open their first storefront. I don’t have a lot of details on it but their page does and it seemed like a cool way to support the local restaurant I wanted to support (in addition to eating their bagels!)
https://wefunder.com/zeitlins.delicatessen
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