“Well, a high wire is a dangerous game, but a hard act to follow”
Which performer wants to follow the dangerous high wire act in the circus? No one. No matter what you do, the audience will be saying “meh.” That’s why the ringmaster sends out the clowns.
The danger is intoxicating
Running a major restaurant is exciting, and it would not be farfetched to say a bit dangerous, at least financially. People are intrigued by the thrill and peril, similarly to the attraction they have with roller coasters and scary movies. Albeit, thrill-seekers ultimately know in the back of their minds that they can walk away.
Jump back in, but not in the deep end this time
The first thing I did after my first restaurant failed was to pursue another foodservice venture. While the financial commitment of a full-service restaurant stopped me in my tracks, I now turned my attention to a different type of foodservice – fast food in a mall.
The fast food world is no kinder
Not just any fast food mind you, but made-to-order French crepes. I really enjoyed them when I was in Paris and couldn’t understand why crepes wouldn’t be popular here. They were street food. Lots of options too, both savoury and sweet. The closest fast-food crepe restaurant was in Vancouver. That should have been a warning sign.
Food court wars are another battleground entirely and we lost again. Edmonton wasn’t ready for this type of fast-food. Another hard lesson learned.
The sun was going down on a dream
The limelight of being a restaurateur was fading fast. My letdown was softened as I transitioned to a business manager position in a high school. Luckily the students and their energy provided me with the buzz that I craved. Plus, I got to run the cafeteria and provide catering to satiate my culinary appetite.
The thrill was gone
The thrill was replaced with security. Boring for an entrepreneur but good for my family. Although, I wasn’t quite done with my ventures. As noted in a previous post about being restless, my nature wouldn’t allow me to sit back.
I’m not quite done yet
Creating intellectual property (board game), while retaining my day job, filled the void. And once the board game died, this blog surfaced. Granted, this last hurrah pales in comparison to running a restaurant, but I’m still not done with creating something.