2021 State of the Union

The ground continues to move beneath our feet. We have moved into the high-risk category, back to 25% seating capacity. We will have eight indoor tables. At 50% capacity, our geometry and customer profiles only allow us to add two more tables, so no big deal. The recent fine weather has been a boon, though we will likely pay the price when the world catches on fire this summer. Marketplace sales continue apace and combined with the takeout business the additional revenue sustains us. By calling ourselves a “European-style bistro” we give ourselves and excuse to pack those tables together, but this may be a thing of the past. The spacious and gracious approach to fine dining is appealing to all. Time will tell.Soon we unleash our new POS and online ordering system. It is hard to shell out the amount of money necessary for all the hardware and software to replace our fully functional existing system. Doing so is a function of our commitment to growing these new streams of revenue. There must be a thousand retail online shopping carts that would work for the Marketplace. And there are good online ordering systems for restaurants, though integration with the POS system is typically problematic. As a result of vigorous scouring, we found a POS system that is a great solution for a fine dining establishment as well as a retail market, with a superior shopping cart for both. The new system permits subcategories, for better organization and it has a search function. You’re gonna love it.We are getting underway with a professional label printing solution. We have added a barcode scanner for quicker checkout at the Marketplace. There is an integrated caller ID function that pulls up your account when you call. There is a loyalty program that will allow us to take better care of those of you who have been taking such good care of us. We purchased a new phone system with five lines. So, the PPP money and then some is gone, but we are loaded for bear, ready for anything. Famous last words…We went back and forth over expanding into the space next door. Then we went for a drive. We drove up Kaiser to the school and turned left, west. Then we went east. Case closed. We are expanding. If things work out as planned, Cup and Cone will remain in its home until the end of August, when it will move into a new, smaller space. We will get under construction the first of September and probable need to close for a week or two right around the first of October. We think this will be a long-lasting incarnation of the restaurant after being reborn so many times in past years. If we are able to iron out the last few wrinkles with our landlord we are going for it. Stay tuned!Considering the events of the last year, one tends to wax philosophical. What aspects of our lives is that brilliant light shining on to cast such a shadow? What seeds are germinating in the darkness? For us, this disruption in the normal trajectory of life has painted a fresh hue on all of our experiences. We savor more. We feel more grateful. We don’t stress the little things so much. After years of watching from our remote corner of the Portland metropolitan area as the likes of John Gorham, David Machado and Vitaly Paley explode onto the scene while, after 12 years, we still have not been reviewed, we end up perfectly content to come down where we ought to be. I guess, after all, it really ‘tis a gift to be simple.