Running a restaurant and bar requires non-stop attention, and I needed a break whenever possible. Late nights only added to the workload.
I was closed for Saturday lunch and all day on Sundays which provided me with a narrow window to do off-hours things as well as catch my breath and think about what I was doing as a restaurateur. Later, though, I opened for these times in an attempt to save the business.
A fully equipped bar and restaurant at my disposal
On the one day I was closed, Sunday, I would come in to do some office work and any minor facility maintenance. Bars weren’t allowed to be open on Sundays as per the Lord’s Day Act at the time. I had a fully equipped restaurant kitchen and well stocked bar where I could take my time to pour any type of drink or create and cook my own meal.
I would play my personal selection of music and take in the atmosphere. Sometimes I’d eat in the vast restaurant or in the bar near the wood-burning fireplace, especially on a cold winter day. Many times my wife and young son would meet me to enjoy the restaurant offerings and to grab some groceries.
This was one of the best paybacks in owning a restaurant. It didn’t get any better.