For the Love of May
It is May and the liftoff has begun.
Our front yard this week in Walla Walla
As the sky fills with light and the sun beams Vitamin D I find myself launched. The focus is to keep my feet on the ground while my head is in the clouds. I have survived another winter without catastrophe. Let’s celebrate!
Last April Fools Day we celebrated our 16thbirthday. This puts a smack dab in the middle of our company adolescence. We have developed the ability to (almost) behave like an adult when called upon, but we are still deeply ensconced in our age of ideals. We still believe that we can make a living owning a restaurant while fielding a staff that makes living wages. So far in this year we have experienced the best results yet to kick off 2026.
What Makes Us Different?
Bethany’s Table operates as what we call a “Self-Managed Team.” Some of you may have noticed when you visit the restaurant that there isn’t anybody except this author wandering around, no evidence of accomplishment. These days I spend 2 to 3 weeks at a time in Walla Walla. I actually get more done there on behalf of the business than I get done in the sea of distractions living above the restaurant. And the staff seem to do so well when I’m away. Strange…
Self-managed teams operate on a foundation of Leadership. The will element of leadership is that of the follower. The task of the leader is political in nature. A leader is insightful, perceptive and trustworthy. They are a safe place for the team to confide in or seek advice. Their task is to walk that bridge between the team and ownership, providing guidance to the owners on the pulse, strengths, weaknesses, and needs of the team. Correspondingly, they carry the owner’s water back to the team, seeding and cultivating a cohesive culture.
In order for these leaders to operate freely within the staff and remain a participant in the tip pool, we owners retain full authority over hiring, discipline, firing and scheduling. This does not mean that any member of the staff cannot have authority over various realms of work within the restaurant. The authority to manage the bar, the wine program, lead the shift meetings and mentor the cooks is taken up by various individuals, depending upon their strengths and proclivities. In order to pull this off we need to fill the room with emotionally stable adults who share values and communicate well.
After the pandemic, as restaurants such as Toro Bravo, the Tasty franchise, Ava Genes, Lardo, Ox and St Jacks were converted from independently owned restaurants to ‘brands’ by holding companies, The stable of the remaining independent restaurants providing attractive workplaces has shrunk considerably. Those of us that also offer health insurance are great landing places for our comrades that eschew coggery. The last ad I placed for a server attracted 120 applications. We could have staffed a new 80-seat restaurant with five-star servers from that list of applicants. I didn’t choose the individual with the most experience or knowledge. I chose the best fit for the team.
I have always loved this sign.
Our staff functions as a team. They teach each other, they cue each other and they support each other on the floor. They even like each other. If a member of the staff has some concerns that they want to bring to me, they are not going around anybody to do so. If they have some concerns that they are uncertain about bringing to me, they have a recognized leader to talk to.
As for me, I have the oxymoronic challenge of finding people with good judgment that want to work in a restaurant. That has never been easier. It turns out that there are more and more showing up these days after braving the swirling and materialistic mechanisms of go get ‘em America. Crazy is as crazy does and much work folks once craved to be a part of wasn’t conducive to personal striving, ambition and creativity. It hasn’t always gone so smoothly to execute my business philosophy in the restaurant. At this point, however, now that we are a fully-fledged adolescent, we are able to maintain our place in the realm of ideals, and produce outcomes that look and feel just a little bit different to our customers.
Change That Makes A Difference
Your votes are due in the ballot box on Tuesday. Perhaps it feels somewhat pointless. Look at all the good people you voted for over the years and look at the state of politics.
There is a contest on this ballot that I believe makes your vote matter. In the race for Washington County District 2, Blayne Soleymani-Pearson deserves your vote. District 2 and District 4 account for approximately 25% of Oregon’s GDP. That’s a lot! It matters who is representing us on the local level and Blayne’s values combined the backbone and willful determination constitute the fundamentals we need amongst our local leaders.
I’ve never done this before, and there is a valid concern that my endorsement will stick in some folks’ craw. But for various reasons, I believe that this time around, it’s important to recognize somebody that can make a difference.
