Opening a Restaurant

Opening a restaurant in the Poconos was my biggest life challenge.

If today one of my children told me they were going to take all of their life savings (which is what I did) to start a restaurant I would beg them not to. If they still insisted then I’d roll up my sleeves to help – because there is no understanding of the enormity and sacrifice about to be undertaken.

I started with zero experience. I didn’t make a profit for 3 years. I worked 7 days a week with no vacation for 11 years. My 7 children were between age 12 through 24 and I only saw them when they visited my business. It took me 17 years to repay all my friends and family who carried me with loans because my personal credit was destroyed. If you’re still reading after this horror beginning the story does get better, Lol.

Humble Beginnings

In 2002 I leased an empty retail space on Route 611 in Bartonsville that was formerly a German style family restaurant. It was gutted and I had to build it out. I paid an attorney $700 to set me up as a PA corporation. He wisely suggested an LLC – Limited Liability Corporation. I say wisely because every business person I’ve talked to since then told me it was wise. I’ve never looked further into it.

We started as Dale’s Coffee Bar. Not being an experienced cook but considering myself a somewhat connoisseur of coffee and espresso beverages my plan was to feature those beverages plus smoothies, pastries and snacks. When I realized quickly we needed to venture into sandwiches and soups to increase revenue we were caught in a catch 22. With the name ‘coffee bar’ many people assumed that’s all we were.

We struggled through a few name variations until Dale’s Pocono Bistro finally stuck. Even though my ex wife Dale is no longer involved we just can’t drop her name. Most people seem to simply know us as ‘Dale’s’ and she doesn’t mind.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Money management being my weakness the $50 thousand I started with was gone quickly and the borrowing started soon after. One of my strengths is recognizing talent, and I was able to hire a bunch of young part time workers who had a lot of heart, energy and desire to help. They came to us as friends of my teenage children who were also pitching in. A few days into it Melissa, my neighbor since she was 6 years old, came along and became our first full timer. So with a good team and desire to create a unique high quality food and beverage offering we trudged forward.

Blessed with Great Help

Today, 22 years later, Melissa is our Customer Satisfaction Specialist and Manager and our most tenured employee. We also have Wendy who’s been with us over twelve years and through an incredible work ethic has become our Operating Manager/Server/Chef. Then there’s Samantha who started as a busser twelve years ago when she was 14 and is now our Sous Chef.

My first landlord, Charlie Scipio, was in his Florida winter residence at the time I signed my first lease. Unfortunately I never got to meet him because two weeks later he died from an illness. For the next three years there were multiple disputes over the property ownership between family members and lawyers. On certain months there were multiple parties claiming my rent was theirs. With that kind of confusion going on I was able to escape down the road to our current location in the Giant Carpet plaza on Route 611 in Bartonsville.

Around that time (2005) one night after closing I was enjoying some pocket billiards at the pool hall next door. I overheard a young 19 year old, who I recognized as a customer, mention to her friend that she just got laid off and needed a job. Her name is Karlyn Webb and the next day she joined our staff as a server. This girl worked well and hard! She assumed responsibility so quickly within a few months I made her General Manager.

A Partnership Forms

Since 2014 she has been our head chef and at that time I also made her my business partner. Prior to 2014 Karlyn had assumed partial ownership as a gift from my best friend Greg who had made a minor investment years earlier when I was destitute and on the verge of going out of business. Greg also has a keen eye for talented people. The three of us are like family. The gift was only to be repaid if and when the business could afford it. It was fully repaid 3 years ago.

Around 2013 I mentioned Karlyn’s partial ownership to a business owner/Bistro customer. When I mistakenly referred to her as my partner he corrected me. A true partnership requires equal ownership. I was shocked and immediately started researching when I came across ‘The Partnership Charter’ a book by David Gage who spent his career as a counselor to failing business partnerships.

David’s inspiring view on the benefits of partnership made me want to create an operating agreement that would be most fair to Karlyn and I. Within weeks it was complete and drafted from various sample agreements in David’s book that pertained to our business. Simply stated, in 2014, through our new partnership agreement Karlyn and I were now 50 – 50 partners.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Also, by the end of 2014, I made more money than any previous year. I knew it would happen. I believe she got more inspired than ever.

So my advice to you: Don’t start a business unless you love what you’re about to do. Don’t start a business if you plan to be an absentee owner and expect your staff to run it for you. You must be ready and willing to work even harder when there is an emergency. Trust me there will be emergencies.

Don’t make the mistake I made by not having enough capital to start your business properly. Keep your eye out for talented staff and always promote from within when there is a merited candidate. With the right person partnership is a blessing. If you have doubts the person is right, then they’re not. When it’s the right person you will have ZERO doubt.

Finally even through the early deep struggles I would do it over again. I wouldn’t trade places with anybody.