A Thank You Note.
Running a small independent restaurant is tough. But running it through a pandemic is absolutely crazy.
My name is David Jansen and I'm the owner of Jansen restaurant in Mount Airy, Pennsylvania. I was the Chef de Cuisine at a five diamond five star restaurant, when one day the opportunity to lifetime pulled up. This beautiful historic cottage became available to open a new restaurant. So... we went for it.
Restaurants are all about talent, and we've got the best there is. I was incredibly fortunate to be able to recruit talent from all around the world. And we hit the ground running from day one - we just gelled as a team. One of the incredible things that we all have in common is that we just breathe hospitality. We want people to come here and feel as if they're in a home away from home.
We were hitting our stride and doing great numbers, and then all of a sudden, it just changed overnight. I've been in the business for 40 years, and I have never experienced anything like this. I'll never forget learning that our business was going to be shut down, and that there would be no indoor dining in Pennsylvania.
Overcoming Adversity.
Restaurants are all about creativity, pivoting and dealing with adversity. But none of us ever experienced anything like this.
I sat down with my team and we discussed how we were going to make it through and how we were going to put food on our staff tables. This restaurant is about how you feel when you're inside the building. So the question became how do we make that happen with the takeout? To be completely honest, I didn't know if it was going to work or not. It was something that we had never tried or even thought about doing. And I have to tell you, it was extraordinary.
The most amazing thing to me was how our customers and our community just really supported us. Not only were they ordering, and ordering once or twice a week, but they were also tipping us - making sure that our staff was taken care of. It's because of our extended family - our customers - it's the reason why we're still here today.
The word restaurant comes from the French verb "restaurer" which means to restore. Since the pandemic happened, the society has been torn apart. We were isolated. We want to restore that would, and we want for people to come to Janssen restaurant and be able to feel like they're finally coming back together.
“Honestly, you were there for us. And we can't wait to have you back so we can say thank you.”
— David Jansen, Chef & Owner
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