A Good Investment

Watching Jen work her butt off to find investors for Concrete Blond looks exhausting. Jen is extremely talented and driven. I know her restaurant will be wildly successful, and it is just a matter of time until she finds the right people to help her open up her dream.

I had trouble watching Richard cook his menu hoping to please his investors. It makes me so thankful that I don’t have investors to worry about. I referred to David, the Operating Manager of our Good Stuff Eatery in Crystal City, as an investor. But that is just confusing because he is actually the most dedicated manager you could ever find. David, our Operating Manager, is an asset to the company, and I was so excited to introduce him to Jen. Jen needs great industry people to support her, and who knows, David might be it!

But, if I had to rely on investors and kiss their a--es, I’d be screwed. I come from a restaurant family where we are all a part of the business. We fund it, we operate it, we work it. We live and breathe the restaurant business. Our social lives probably lack as a result. 

With investors, you can sometimes be stifled. Your opinions on the menu or the décor might not always reign supreme. You don’t have the freedom to answer to do everything your way. I couldn’t work like that. As you probably observed from the show, my family can yell. We give each other a hard time and we all think we know best. My mom tends to be the top of the chain of command, and it’s for a reason. That woman knows everything. From the front to the back of the house, she has mastered it all throughout her years in the business. We all get loud and voice our opinions by yelling on top of one another. Thankfully, we are the ones calling the shots and making every single decision.

There is no way that we could function with someone else chiming in with his or her opinions. Come on -- the Mendelsohn clan knows all.