Wow, it's over... (sigh)... whew, what a month! As Ray mentioned last week, after starting the year terribly behind in sales, by the end we had caught up and surpassed the year before. December started out like every other year. The first few weeks, we began to wonder where everybody was..there were no weather issues this year. But the next thing you know, I'm looking back and wondering what the hell happened... is it January 7th already? This is what makes the restaurant industry what it is. It can be challenging, fun, stressful, exciting and tiring all in a very short period of time. 2014 ended up finishing very strong, and we look forward to another great year serving you.
It is always nice to see that the challenge often brings its reward - December was our busiest month ever! We set records both for the amount of people served and for monthly sales. New Year's Eve alone, we served over 600 people in 6 hours. And for the most part, it was smooth sailing on our end.
"Crunch" time started about the middle of the month. Not only were we serving Christmas party after party, we were very busy boxing up thousands of gift cards in all sorts of denominations. We also took on the challenge of switching our reservation/seating system in the middle of the busiest month. Yeah, we questioned if Ray was crazy. Not only does 1 person need to know it, 40 other dining room staff members needed to be trained as well.
As the Christmas holiday approached... the New Year's Eve calls came ringing in. I think I permanently have our phone ring tone in my head. That week, you readers may have even noticed how busy we were because we did not end up doing a full newsletter. (The first week without a full issue ever!) All our staff was on the floor serving our customers, who are more important. The day after Christmas, we were able to enjoy Sam Llanas as he graced the stage of the Playlist Theater. It was no ordinary show because the audience was treated to almost 4 hours of Sam's music.
The week of 12/26 through 12/31... more music to my ears, more New Year's Eve phone calls. I wish we were able to accommodate everyone. Unfortunately, we still turn hundreds away, even with 48 tables going for 5+ hours. With all the decor, the party atmosphere, great food, and exceptional service from our staff... it is truly something you need to experience. Please consider calling sooner next year.
"Our year" finally came to an end this past Sunday evening. It was our turn to party. We celebrated a long, successful year with our staff at Verucchi's in Spring Valley. It is always fun for our staff to get together to enjoy a great meal, a few drinks and a lot of dancing together.
Again, a big THANK YOU, goes out to all of our employees and customers. You make it all worth it.
Now bring on 2015!
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