FAQs About Our Business
When we are operational and not running at a loss, we would be glad to support local events, etc. The problem is, we have someone asking us for free stuff regularly. I would love to accomadate some of these groups, but it's not possible right now when we are running at an extreme loss considering we are only open occasionally.
Good question! While I don't like long convoluted answers, here's one in 3 parts, as it's not a simple question as it may seem. We are actually open part of the time, we have just not been open, most of the time since purchasing this property in 2021. We don't benefit from not being open. We don't enjoy spending our life savings every month to have a restaurant just sit here... We've lost thousands per month when not open. so, why would we choose not to be open?
We are not open daily for 3 main reasons, here's the first:
The property was under major disrepair when purchased, and we have spent more than we could have ever expected just to get this operational. Almost every piece of equipment was not in working order and restaurant equipment is not cheap. When we first opened in 2021, we felt as though we were doing so under duress due to requirements by insurance that the restaurant be opened within 90 days of purchasing the property. So, imagine having to move, remodel your home and restaurant, and open within 90 days of closing... Yeah, it was tough. We opened though, on August 13th, 2021. We closed the next day for a few months as we hoped would we have staff as we knew we could not run the restaurant full time alone.
We are not open daily for 3 main reasons, here's the first:
The property was under major disrepair when purchased, and we have spent more than we could have ever expected just to get this operational. Almost every piece of equipment was not in working order and restaurant equipment is not cheap. When we first opened in 2021, we felt as though we were doing so under duress due to requirements by insurance that the restaurant be opened within 90 days of purchasing the property. So, imagine having to move, remodel your home and restaurant, and open within 90 days of closing... Yeah, it was tough. We opened though, on August 13th, 2021. We closed the next day for a few months as we hoped would we have staff as we knew we could not run the restaurant full time alone.
Good question! While I don't like long convoluted answers, here's one in 3 parts, as it's not a simple question as it may seem. We are actually open part of the time, we have just not been open, most of the time since purchasing this property in 2021. We don't benefit from not being open. We don't enjoy spending our life savings every month to have a restaurant just sit here... We've lost thousands per month. so, why would we choose not to be open?
Staffing is the second main reason we have not been open full time:
Finding staff has been an issue since day 1 and there are signs throughout the town, the region, and the country with the same issues, so it's not unique to us. We never purchased this with the intention of working 100+ hours per week. In fact, we were warned by the previous owners NOT to do that and instead hire staff. While some people like to say "the previous owners did it," as if this is some sort of dictatorship where we must work as indentured servants, the reality is, the previous owners from a few different versions of this place all said that it was not something they enjoyed doing all the time and were worn out doing it. In fact, the restaurant was up for sale for well over 10 years prior to us purchasing it, as can be seen on Google Maps photo archives. Our plan was always to manage and run the restaurant with staffing present.
We were open and we did so for 8 months in 2022 and most of that was just us working. At first we did curbside so people could try our food and we could open less hours, but we didn't really like doing that. At one point we opened with no staff, full time, 6 days per week. We did that for over 6 weeks which took a massive toll on our well being since we never had a break. While it was the best time we had in terms of owning a restaurant, as we gained established regulars and had a great time meeting local people, it was not sustainable long term.
Unfortunately, like everyone else in this country looking for staff, it's not so easy. People are often lazy, dishonest, and will steal off their employers. We have the receipts (camera footage) of some of these occurrances. We've been at the restaurant for 12 hours straight, before and after opening and closing, and if we step away even for minutes, let alone an hour, we have found that employees don't really care about their responsibilities and sit on their phone. After having some complaints one day last year, we had to review camera footage as we heard different stories from customers and employees. Unfortunately, what we saw was disappointing.
Paying someone $16 an hour to tell everyone that calls, even if there is no current customers, that it's going to be an hour to do 1 pizza is an example of some of what we have went through. Someone breaking into our register to steal passwords is another. Someone stealing merchandise, food, and even oil, is something we have gone through. Having someone who got a job and then spent months until they could start for one reason or another, only to sit on a stool doing nothing while I was making pizza's and my wife was on the floor scrubbing... Someone we had to argue with repeatedly about washing their hands and wearing gloves, and felt I was "lecturing them" because it's my duty to make sure everyone is following safety protocols... None of these people lasted more than a few weeks, yet they had a lasting impact on us. We would rather be open fewer hours than hiring the wrong people like this.
We have had someone tell us that they felt we should work our shifts and always be on duty during their shifts as well... So what's the point of hiring someone than? So we are supposed to spend hours prepping everything in the morning, be there during our shifts and then pay someone $15-$20+ an hour for them to work and essentially stand around to do one task while we do all the the work during their shifts? That's the issue, our plan was always to be open around 70 hours per week. There are at least 10 hours or more per week in additional work running a restaurant; that's 80 hours or more. The sad part is, my wife and I run it much smoother when it is just us. It's less stressful that way. We want to pay a good staff so we can open more hours and do the "Breakfast Club" that we announced when we first opened... It's been a dream of ours to offer good coffee and packages...
We are around 50 and can't work 80 hours or more per week doing this. We wanted to find the right people, work our shifts, work during rushes on their shifts, and be open more hours but until we have more staff, this is not possible. Yet, we find ourselves explaining this as some don't seem to understand there is a sense of entitlement by employees and sometimes people in the community who think we should be open and be the only ones working. Again, the previous owners told us this is what drained them and why they didn't like doing it anymore. Our goal from the beginning was opening for breakfast, and being open late, but we have never had the chance yet to offer all this due to lack of staffing.
Sorry, but no, I'm not interested in these kind of people. In cases like this, it's easier to have no employees and be closed or open limited hours than to be desperate and hire just anyone. So that's why we are not always open. I have heard dozens of stories from others who have similar experiences lately.
Staffing is the second main reason we have not been open full time:
Finding staff has been an issue since day 1 and there are signs throughout the town, the region, and the country with the same issues, so it's not unique to us. We never purchased this with the intention of working 100+ hours per week. In fact, we were warned by the previous owners NOT to do that and instead hire staff. While some people like to say "the previous owners did it," as if this is some sort of dictatorship where we must work as indentured servants, the reality is, the previous owners from a few different versions of this place all said that it was not something they enjoyed doing all the time and were worn out doing it. In fact, the restaurant was up for sale for well over 10 years prior to us purchasing it, as can be seen on Google Maps photo archives. Our plan was always to manage and run the restaurant with staffing present.
We were open and we did so for 8 months in 2022 and most of that was just us working. At first we did curbside so people could try our food and we could open less hours, but we didn't really like doing that. At one point we opened with no staff, full time, 6 days per week. We did that for over 6 weeks which took a massive toll on our well being since we never had a break. While it was the best time we had in terms of owning a restaurant, as we gained established regulars and had a great time meeting local people, it was not sustainable long term.
Unfortunately, like everyone else in this country looking for staff, it's not so easy. People are often lazy, dishonest, and will steal off their employers. We have the receipts (camera footage) of some of these occurrances. We've been at the restaurant for 12 hours straight, before and after opening and closing, and if we step away even for minutes, let alone an hour, we have found that employees don't really care about their responsibilities and sit on their phone. After having some complaints one day last year, we had to review camera footage as we heard different stories from customers and employees. Unfortunately, what we saw was disappointing.
Paying someone $16 an hour to tell everyone that calls, even if there is no current customers, that it's going to be an hour to do 1 pizza is an example of some of what we have went through. Someone breaking into our register to steal passwords is another. Someone stealing merchandise, food, and even oil, is something we have gone through. Having someone who got a job and then spent months until they could start for one reason or another, only to sit on a stool doing nothing while I was making pizza's and my wife was on the floor scrubbing... Someone we had to argue with repeatedly about washing their hands and wearing gloves, and felt I was "lecturing them" because it's my duty to make sure everyone is following safety protocols... None of these people lasted more than a few weeks, yet they had a lasting impact on us. We would rather be open fewer hours than hiring the wrong people like this.
We have had someone tell us that they felt we should work our shifts and always be on duty during their shifts as well... So what's the point of hiring someone than? So we are supposed to spend hours prepping everything in the morning, be there during our shifts and then pay someone $15-$20+ an hour for them to work and essentially stand around to do one task while we do all the the work during their shifts? That's the issue, our plan was always to be open around 70 hours per week. There are at least 10 hours or more per week in additional work running a restaurant; that's 80 hours or more. The sad part is, my wife and I run it much smoother when it is just us. It's less stressful that way. We want to pay a good staff so we can open more hours and do the "Breakfast Club" that we announced when we first opened... It's been a dream of ours to offer good coffee and packages...
We are around 50 and can't work 80 hours or more per week doing this. We wanted to find the right people, work our shifts, work during rushes on their shifts, and be open more hours but until we have more staff, this is not possible. Yet, we find ourselves explaining this as some don't seem to understand there is a sense of entitlement by employees and sometimes people in the community who think we should be open and be the only ones working. Again, the previous owners told us this is what drained them and why they didn't like doing it anymore. Our goal from the beginning was opening for breakfast, and being open late, but we have never had the chance yet to offer all this due to lack of staffing.
Sorry, but no, I'm not interested in these kind of people. In cases like this, it's easier to have no employees and be closed or open limited hours than to be desperate and hire just anyone. So that's why we are not always open. I have heard dozens of stories from others who have similar experiences lately.
Third reason for not being open regularly the past few years:
Beyond having young children that also need our attention, we have had some health issues since moving into the property. In fact, one of the main reasons we stopped opening regular hours in July 2022 was because we were hit hard with Covid-19 for about a month. Afterwards it was fall, and due to lack of staffing, we found it better to open occassionally and for special events. Plus, there are some ongoing medical issues we are dealing with.
We understand not everyone can be empathetic, but the cook has untreated chronic pancreatitis. So, if there are only 2 adults, with 2 young children in school, it's not possible for us to always be open, especially when the cook often gets accute pancreatitis attacks. While this is more personal than we care to be, we only share because some people have made very rude comments online about us not being open, as if we should be required to be open. The sad thing is, the people that make those comments have never supported our business anyway, even when we are open. Nonetheless, people like to cause controversy by talking about others while trying to drum up outrage over whatever people like to get outraged about nowadays... These are the facts as to why we're not always open and have not been open regular hours for most of the time the past few years. There were issues for years of this place not having stable hours, so it's nothing new according to most people we have talked to, and while we would love for that to change, we can't control all of these scenarios.
Beyond having young children that also need our attention, we have had some health issues since moving into the property. In fact, one of the main reasons we stopped opening regular hours in July 2022 was because we were hit hard with Covid-19 for about a month. Afterwards it was fall, and due to lack of staffing, we found it better to open occassionally and for special events. Plus, there are some ongoing medical issues we are dealing with.
We understand not everyone can be empathetic, but the cook has untreated chronic pancreatitis. So, if there are only 2 adults, with 2 young children in school, it's not possible for us to always be open, especially when the cook often gets accute pancreatitis attacks. While this is more personal than we care to be, we only share because some people have made very rude comments online about us not being open, as if we should be required to be open. The sad thing is, the people that make those comments have never supported our business anyway, even when we are open. Nonetheless, people like to cause controversy by talking about others while trying to drum up outrage over whatever people like to get outraged about nowadays... These are the facts as to why we're not always open and have not been open regular hours for most of the time the past few years. There were issues for years of this place not having stable hours, so it's nothing new according to most people we have talked to, and while we would love for that to change, we can't control all of these scenarios.
The one thing consistent with our signage is that no matter what our other signs say (open, open daily, closed, temporarily closed, etc), our "Now Hiring" sign is always there. We are looking for hardworking people. To clarify what we mean by that, please review the FAQ about about staffing. We offer a fun environment that is slow to steady most of the time but there are extremely busy times; it's an unpredictable flow. There are times we feel it's very slow with only occasional orders, and 6 different vehicles will pull up at once. Then there are weekends, which are consistently busy. Ultimately, it's all manageable but requires the type of person who can do more than one thing at a time sometimes, and understand that sometimes you have to pick up the pace when there are a lot of orders.
Sometimes people will give us advice while picking up their pizza. While we appreciate the business, it seems like people have a misconception about why we are not open. Ultimately, people will tell us how we can get more customers. We are told to have coupons, we are told to be open steady hours, we are told all sorts of things. We already explained about being open above. Also, we can't have coupons as that would mean more business and if we don't have the staff, nor hours to sustain the extra business, it wouldn't be helpful to us. We can put our flags up at any time, especially during the summer months, and do well. We appreciate the business and the support.
It takes less than 5 minutes to top a pizza and about 5-6 minutes for it to cook. So, when someone orders 3 pizza's, you can estimate it will likely take about 10-15 minutes total, depending on the orders we have before that order. So, if there are 5 other orders, including Philly Cheesesteaks, etc., it takes longer. Plus, for Gluten-free pizzas, it takes time as we wear different aprons, etc. So, if you call, you may hear that a pizza will take 10 minutes, or over an hour, it's not the pizza that takes that long, its the amount of orders before yours that must be completed first.
We want to. I firmly believe pizza is a delivery business... However, we need staff in order to offer delivery.
50, however we can comfortably seat around 40.
If it's because you are visiting New Hampshire, or never knew about us, or we were never open when you tried to stop by, sure! If it's because you are a social media addicted person that is angry and want to make a declaration that you will never support our business because we haven't been open, well, we are not interested.
Living in a small town has it's perks. One is that it's not as crowded as larger cities, and you get to know some great locals. It also means dealing with people who treat this as a junior high school playground. See, 90% of the locals have been great, supportive, and have been very happy, whether they visited the old place that was here before us, or not. However, some have had some other strange reasons for not only not ordering from us, but actually going after us every time we have a well-liked social media post.
We have had some say they didn't like the previous establishment or politics of the previous owners, so they never come for that reason. Not sure what that would have to do with us. We have also had people say they loved the previous establishment and don't come for that reason. Strange, but okay.
One of the worse reasons we have heard is that someone will leave a response to a social media post and declare that since we are never open when they want to come, they will never support us and instead go elsewhere. So because we are short-staffed, have had health issues, or have had to renovate a building that was literally rotting when we purchased it (we have the repair receipts to prove it), you won't support us? Thanks, your parents must be proud.
One interesting thing about a few of these people is that when I check out their profiles out of curiosity, after discovering our post was shared to someone's private group or profile, I start seeing a few other responses within minutes, all insulting us and our business. I often find they are a competitor, a friend or family of a competitor, or someone that likes every post of a competitors business, or are otherwise connected to someone that we let go or quit because they were not doing a good job. Surely employees never say bad things about their previous employer, right?
Anyway, the thing is, why would you, as a business owner, want your friends to insult another business? I don't want business that way. If we have supported, and we do have quite a few, please, never insult other local businesses. We are above that, and I get there is a temptation to delve into the worst parts of humanity on social media, but really, I'm sure you could do something more constructive.
We have liked and supported almost ever restaurant in the area and have left good reviews and even promoted them on social media. If I haven't had anything good to say, I just don't say it. I'd rather them be successful because if the area is successful, we are all successful as a community. Anyway, I'm done, but rather than respond to a handful of negative comments, I decided to simply have one response I could share when we get these bizzare exchanges on social media.
Not Really.
I don't know, do they? I hope so... These save time, and make it so we can refer to these when people ask questions we get tired of answering. There's only so many times you can explain the circumference of a large pizza.
Additional FAQs
Here are some other frequently asked questions below: