The Business of Family
Our Family gathered around the table just before we opened!
I met my husband in a restaurant, and our lives have revolved around food, faith, and family ever since. We believe in community and the power of coming together around the table, and with that as a foundation we opened this small family business. This community has joined us for one incredible journey -from construction during a polar vortex, to a world wide pandemic, and a national staffing crisis - and I’d say we’ve come through several challenges and thrived. We have grown a community of regular guests and friends that feel like an extension of our family; we know how special that is and how blessed we are to have that. Many of you have watched our kids grow up at the host stand, in the kitchen, and washing dishes. As we approach our 5 year anniversary at Nipote’s we have sat down to evaluate the business, what’s going well, what opportunities do we have, and how do we best serve our family and our community? In restaurants, the first thing you learn is to balance costs: food cost, labor cost, liquor cost, etc. Restaurant margins are tight, and it’s no surprise that many struggle to find a successful balance. There are other costs; however, that don’t have a line item on a traditional profit and loss statement - these are time, moments, memories. There’s balancing the financial gain of a fully booked Saturday night with missing out on some of the moments we can’t recoup like our kids band concerts, art shows, and fireside s’mores. For 5 years Jeff has been at the stove, touching every plate that leaves the kitchen. Every morning he is at the grocery store picking fresh produce to prep for the day, making fresh pasta, breading chicken Parmesan and rolling meatballs. This is what makes Nipote’s a special place. As we stepped back to evaluate where we are, it is with gratitude that we celebrate our success and we are thankful to be in a position where we can make the choice to balance our greatest priorities. With the same foundation we had at the beginning of our journey - food, faith, family and community - we’ve made the decision to close on Saturdays. We know at a time that most restaurants are doing everything they can to make money this feels odd, especially because we’re usually booked most Saturdays, but this isn’t a business decision. It’s not a decision that our accountant would recommend and we didn’t take the decision lightly. This is a family business and our decisions are always rooted in family. Our hope is that you’ll continue to enjoy our all of your Nipote’s favorites on Tuesday-Friday. We plan to use this as an opportunity to think of ways that we can continue to support our community so stay tuned and - as always - thank you for not just being guests at our table but part of our family. Cin! Cin!
Jeff and the Littles with their best serious faces!
