Sensing passion in a business
It is really striking when you can sense passion in a business. Some businesses seem to exist solely for profit, and you can feel it—everything about them screams, “I care about money, not my customers.” Others are charged up with positive energy, and you feel the electricity as you interact with them. I think the difference lies in the passion of the entrepreneur, or the owners, or the management.
I got to thinking about this as a new restaurant opened up in my area, The Little Pub. The owners started with a charming little building that was originally a pub back in the 1930s. The building then took a turn as an antique shop, up until recently. Now it’s converted back into a pub and restaurant, and they opened up for business a month ago.
And you can tell the owners are trying to do everything “right”. They invested in a high quality renovation, with nice finishings throughout, wide antique wood floorboards to match the history and look of the place, and an inviting stone patio with an outdoor fireplace to warm up diners on a chilly night.
I went this past week with my family, and when we arrived, the host (maybe he’s the owner, I’m not sure) greeted us with a warm smile. He seemed truly grateful that we came. The place was packed, and it is indeed quite little. We were lucky to get a table out on the porch next to the fire.
The food is excellent—burgers and salads up to more sophisticated dishes—and the prices are reasonable for a casual night out. They use local produce, meat from the market across the street, and other high quality ingredients. We split a plate of very tasty sliders as an appetizer, and then I enjoyed one of the better Cobb salads I’ve ever ordered.
Here is a place that cares about customers and they care about quality. It shows in their food, in the nice environment of the restaurant, in the friendly staff, and even in their marketing: they maintain an active Facebook fan page, and Twitter account. After only one month in business, in our semi-rural area of CT, they already have over 600 Facebook fans.
This post isn’t meant to be a restaurant review (but by all means, stop by the Little Pub on Route 7 in Ridgefield, CT, you’ll love it.) It is meant as a salute to entrepreneurial passion. Bring passion to the business and your customers will get behind you. I wish the Little Pub the best, and I look forward to my next meal there. What they do is very inspiring.
