Chapter 17
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Iswallowed the lump in my throat while blinking repeatedly, hoping Khalil wouldn’t see my misty eyes.
The menu for my soft opening was gorgeous.
The fanciful font I selected captured the essence of Brie I'm familiar with it all.”
“Got any advice for me?”
He chuckled, then retrieved the rest of the menus from the printer. The machine was way bigger than I expected. It whirred and hummed while pushing out one hundred copies of my menu. The glossy, cream-colored cardstock glistened under the white lights. I looked at the copy in my hand in awe.
“Don’t be afraid to pivot.”
I nodded. “Is that why you have a second workspace?”
This morning, I met Khalil at his office just off Main Street then he drove us to Hanover, a town near Baltimore Washington International Airport, where he had an industrial space. Inside his suite were two offices, a room storing the printers and a room with a conference table and a wet bar.
“Yup. When print media transitioned to digital, I knew I needed to find a new consistent stream of revenue.” He waved for me to follow him as he tucked my menus under his arm.
We left the print room and went to the coworking space.
“When the city announced their small business grants, I knew I’d use the money to open a print shop.
A few times a week, I print bulk orders and make enough to cover rent and other expenses.
If it gets too busy, I enlist volunteers from Roseville High. ”
“How do you make time for this and the paper?”
“We have a small but dedicated team of writers. All the new businesses helped revive our culture column. The mayor has a biweekly column where he shares community updates. We usually print the paper during those weeks. Two runs a month isn’t bad at all.
I don’t write as much since I’m the one who edits and formats the final draft.
Just an FYI, The Gazette runs on sponsorships, so if you’re looking to run any ads, let me know. ”
“I definitely will. What are the parameters?”
Khalil opened his phone and pulled up a presentation.
I looked at the numbers with wide eyes, not expecting him to be prepared to discuss it today.
He shared the click rate and impressions, then compared those findings with metrics from the company being advertised.
I made a mental note to talk to Starling more about it.
“In my second year at The Gazette, I took a few marketing courses at Anne Arundel Community College. The chief editor at the time was stuck in his ways. The only methods he liked were the ones implemented over thirty years ago. I decided that if I stayed at the paper, I needed to do what I could to keep it going.”
I rested my chin on my fists, thoroughly intrigued by this story. Khalil and I were mutuals through Summer and regulars at Ray’s. He was laid back but somehow one of the more outspoken of his friend's group. It worked in my favor as he had no problem helping me print menus on such short notice.
Khalil was handsome with an understated style.
He almost always wore a shirt with The Roseville Gazette’s logo and a pair of jeans.
My gaze swept over the gray sweatshirt with the logo embroidered in black.
I knew he was a sneaker head because he always wore a pair of shoes I’d never seen before.
Like today, he sported Nikes with the checks facing backwards.
His hair was cornrowed and held together by a rubber band, stopping at his shoulders.
The round, tortoise frames on his face went well with his brown skin.
“The more I talk to Roseville’s business owners, it affirms my decision to stay.”
Khalil smiled. “There’s no place better to thrive.”
I laughed, familiar with the town’s motto.
“But seriously, everything changed so quickly and I worried the town would lose its charm.”
“No way that's happening.” I shook my head.
“Not when we have people like you who want to join the community and not change it to fit their ideals. You could’ve easily found a print shop in Baltimore to do this, but you didn’t.
” He motioned toward my menus that he’d spread across the table.
“Us sticking together is how we keep the community strong.”
“I agree. Nadir recommended you to me. I like how everyone looks out for the next person.”
Khalil smiled while adjusting his glasses. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Anything you need, I’m here. Me and the team will be at the soft opening. We look forward to trying everything on the menu.”
Heat flooded my cheeks from his kind words. The timing was divine. As we neared the opening of my restaurant, I'd worked overtime to remain positive. The problems of yesterday were just that. Everything came together better than I could ever imagine.
“I look forward to hearing your feedback. And don’t forget to try the wine pairings.”
Khalil nodded. “Will do.”
“Thank you for everything,” I said while gathering my menus. “The second payment will be paid by week’s end.”
He waved me off. “Focus on the opening. We’ll square payment later.”
After we returned to Roseville, Khalil went to The Gazette’s headquarters while I headed to B the order number will go onto the table. During opening hours, Gia’s main task is to keep this updated.”
“I like it,” Carmen. “Not totally like Starling’s, which I like. His system was too detailed.”
“Starling got this from Reneé,” Opal corrected Carmen then continued, “Before her parents opened their first restaurant, she was a general manager at Chateau Lumière. At the time, they were hoping to obtain Michelin star status. There were rumors of an inspector visiting restaurants in the area. She had less than a year to turn things around.”
I already knew this story. It was one of my mom’s favorites to share.
So much of her career had been alongside my father that many people forgot she was in the industry before him.
In fact, she was the driving force behind their restaurant systems. I’d taken a few of her processes, hoping to implement them into my workflow.
“So did she make it happen?” Carmen was intrigued.
Shaking my head, I replied, “My mom gave her all to that restaurant, but differences with the executive chef, who was also the owner, led to her leaving. They didn’t get a star and closed a few years later.”
“When was this?”
“A few months before she met my dad. One of the first things they talked about was his plans to open a restaurant after leaving the military. She had the connections; he had the business plan and financial backing.”
Carmen’s eyes widened. “Wow. I always wondered how Reneé got her start in the industry. I always assumed it was because of your dad.”
“Nope. She started as a dishwasher at fourteen. From working front of house to being a kitchen manager, she’s worked in just about every position.”
“I never knew that. Why didn’t you spend more time working for them? I mean, you could’ve easily worked with Starling in Chicago.”
Opal laughed. “The only person who enjoys working with Starling is you.”
Covering my mouth, I stifled my laughter.
Opal was so right. Starling was Reneé 2.
0, running a tighter ship than necessary.
But I couldn’t knock him. My brother’s perfectionism and precision made Cubanelle a notable fine dining experience.
They’d opened a little over a year ago and had already turned a profit.
“He’s tough but he knows his shit,” Carmen noted.