So life in a small town diner just took on a whole new vibe….like the kind of vibe that comes before an earthquake. A couple of months ago, we (along with several other restaurants) received an email from a large company here in Longmont requesting a quote for their in-house food vendor. Not quite sure how many employees eat at their café, we sent out a proposal that we were comfortable with and pricing to match. We listed mostly selections that we serve here in diner, and crossed our fingers that their employees weren’t all gluten free, vegetarians with dairy-nut-wheat allergies!
A few days went by and life got back to normal…..kinda like the settling of your house after the initial quake. Just a little tremor was all it was!
Then they sent out another request for more details on the menu…and wanted to show us around their facility….gulp.
The lead buyer at this large, respected company was super friendly and easy to talk with…though I have to admit she looks young enough to be my daughter. If I had had her when I was 14….which I didn’t…..so that’s why I look older than I am….ooops, off topic.
Their café was spacious with tons of possibilities to do some amazing food choices for them and it was neat to see in person what they wanted their new vendor to take on. We walked away feeling like we had been shown a very large prize….one that we had been wanting since the inception of our little diner. Hopes were high but we still had a new dinner service to bring on. Back to reality and the normal rhythm of Mac’s Place.
Then an unusually quiet Friday came around and their lead buyer, her boss and a few others decided to come in for lunch!!! VERY LARGE TREMORS NOW. It was a beautiful day and a great time to enjoy their break outside on the patio. Keith and I talked to them and it seemed they enjoyed their Reuben and a few lunch specials…it was sea scallops that day and they are always good when we do them on a hot griddle with our pineapple-habanero sauce. So we were in the running….how cool!!!
Several days passed and the excitement of their visit was just a distant memory…life had returned to normal. All I had to worry about was how to get dinner served in the diner and make it to the football game in time to see our son play! The dinner service was about to get going and there was a lot of work to do….menus to plan/print, etc.
Then the phone rang. It seemed to have a different ring tone that usual. Had my kids changed my ringtone again??? Nope, it was opportunity calling. That sounds different from all other calls. We had been chosen to become the new in house food vendor for a large company here in Longmont. 220 employees just waiting to taste some delicious Mac’s Place specials. 8.0 on the Richter scale!!
We’ve spent 10 days interviewing and hiring some well qualified folks to help out and design some menu plans that will work for their health conscious employees. Still a lot of work to be done, and yet I can’t help but think all our prayers and hard work are paying off. Mac’s Place diner @GE Oil and Gas is going to be a great opportunity for everyone and a chance to show our support of local businesses, both big and small. Tremors under control now.