Despite being tired, Dan stepped off the plane in Las Vegas, Nevada excited about visiting the restaurant trade show being held there. This was one of the larger shows that showcased equipment for the restaurant industry. After thinking about the opportunity for weeks, Dan had decided that it would be good to check out all of the equipment that he could.
While the internet was nice, it wasn't the same as seeing the actual product. A lot of websites didn't give prices, but gave phone numbers to call to ask about prices. He wanted to get a feel for how much all of the equipment that he was interested in getting would actually cost him. He had come prepared with his laptop computer having spent a week setting up spread sheets with the products in which he was interested.
He took a taxi to the low end hotel that was a couple of blocks from the luxury hotel where the trade show was being held. He was so focused on the trade show that he didn't even bother to look around at Las Vegas. He figured that he could walk to and from the trade show while saving a hundred dollars in hotel costs and taxi fares. Money was tight and he didn't want to waste a single dollar. That was the same reason he had taken the redeye flight to Las Vegas.
After checking into his room, he took a short nap to recovering from his flight. He figured a single afternoon would be sufficient to go through the vendors areas. When he woke, he was ready to face the trade show. He didn't really know what to expect, but the material he had reviewed suggested that hundreds of manufacturers would be displaying their equipment. He dressed in what he considered to be business casual clothes  a basic white shirt and dark blue pants. He headed off towards the hotel with his laptop slung over his shoulder.
After a forty-five minute walk, Dan reached the hotel glad that it was the end of winter rather than the middle of summer. He didn't think he would have survived the walk in the middle of summer. He hadn't realized that he'd have to walk a mile out of his way because a highway ran between where he was staying and the hotel where the trade show was being held.
Dan went to the trade show area and froze on entering the door. There was no way that he could have imagined the scale of the trade show. The place was huge and vendors were packed together like sardines. He wandered around looking at equipment that could produce single items standing next to equipment that could produce a million items a day.
Vendors for just about every food service industry were represented. Dan spent time at a couple of vendors that had food preparation tables. There were a few examples that were appropriate for preparing pizzas. He went on to look at the ovens. The diversity of ovens shocked him. He ended up talking to one of the salesman for twenty minutes about the oven that he had priced on the internet. Looking at the actual oven, he had been rather disappointed. The next larger model looked like it would fit his needs better, but the price was almost a thousand dollars more.
From there he went to look at the dough making equipment. Mixers capable of making sufficient dough for fifty pizzas looked huge. He wondered if he'd have room for one in his kitchen. He learned the importance of the term footprint with respect to how much room a piece of equipment occupied.
After two hours of wandering around, he found a break area and sat down with a cup of coffee. As he sipped his coffee, he marshaled his thoughts about what he had seen. Sighing at the impossibility of keeping so much information straight in his mind, he tried to update his notes in the laptop. A woman in her early thirties sat down at the break table with him. As she rubbed her aching feet, she sighed and said, "This is insane."
"You can say that again," Dan said without looking up from his laptop. He wanted to get one more piece of information about the ovens entered in his computer. He was going to have to double- check some of the prices.
She looked at his laptop and asked, "Trying to make some notes on what you've seen?"
"Yes. I think I was a little optimistic. I'm a little overwhelmed by it all," Dan said finally looking up at her.
"Do you represent one of the chains?"
"No. I'm trying to open a little pizzeria," Dan answered with a smile.
"Ah. Most of the people attending are affiliated with large chains. I work for Derkins," she said.
"That's where I'm working right now," Dan said sitting up a little more in his chair. He put his laptop on the table.
Frowning at the idea that he was using business travel to start his own company, the woman asked, "Which division?"
"I'm a busboy," Dan answered with a grin.
"Oh. Sorry. I though you were in the corporate area," she said taking a good look at him. She realized that he was too young to be working in corporate area.
"Nope. I'm just a busboy," Dan said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Intrigued, she asked, "So how is it that a busboy has decided to open a restaurant?"
Smiling at the question, Dan answered, "You have the question backwards. How is it that someone who wants to open a restaurant has taken a job as a busboy?"
"I'd like to hear the answer to that question," she said. She had sat down to rest her feet, but was finding the discussion even more interesting than the displays.
"Well, after I decided that I wanted to open a pizzeria I realized that I needed some real experience in the food service industry. I took a job as a busboy so that I could learn the business," Dan said.
She didn't want to tell him that there wasn't much to learn as a busboy. Smiling at him, she asked, "And how much of the business have you learned as a busboy?"
"Believe it or not, I've learned a lot. I've learned all there is to know about busing tables. I sometimes fill in at the dishwasher. I do a little cooking when it gets busy and relieve the cook when it is slow. I've learned about managing the inventory and ordering. I've helped set up the work schedules on a couple of occasions," Dan answered. The job had met all of his expectations for learning about the business.
"You learned all that as a busboy?" she asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It almost sounded like he was in a manager trainee program. She studied him a little more carefully and liked what she saw. Maybe he was ten years younger than her, but he seemed level-headed.
"Yes, ma'am. My manager is a very nice man. He's always willing to answer a question and show me a little more about the business," Dan answered. He asked, "What do you do?"
"I'm here looking at the new models of equipment that we already use in our kitchens," she answered.
Nodding his head, Dan said, "That makes sense. I imagine that you're always opening new places. I'm sure that with so many restaurants across the country that you always have to update the kitchens and replace existing equipment."
"That's right," she answered. She described the kinds of equipment that she was examining on this trip. Dan was familiar with all of the pieces since he had used them in the restaurant. She talked about how some of the equipment had grown in size over the past few years and how that had required them to move to different products. Dan mentioned his observations about equipment footprints. The discussion turned to kitchen layout. They spent a good ten minutes discussing that topic.
"How long does the equipment usually last?" Dan asked.
"It depends on the kind of equipment. Some break, but can be repaired in place. We very seldom have to replace something," she answered.
Dan frowned as he thought about her answer. He said, "I am going to be opening a small pizzeria. I won't have an entire chain with experts like you supporting me. I also can't afford to have spare equipment sitting around. What should I do to protect my business from equipment failures?"
"First of all, you need to make sure that you buy good dependable equipment. Pay the extra money," she answered with a smile. She added, "Second, you should plan to grow to the point where you are a chain with experts to support your business."
Dan laughed at the idea of becoming a chain and said, "Maybe I should ask you for your business card so that I can give you a call when I'm a national chain."
She laughed and asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm Dan Parker, future owner of Parker's Perfect Pizzas," Dan answered holding out his hand to shake hers.
"I'm Ellen, equipment manager of Derkins," she said shaking his hand. Her telephone rang. She looked at the number and said, "That was a reminder that I'm scheduled to meet with someone. How about we meet for dinner?"
"That would be nice," Dan said thinking that he would have to ask at the trade show information booth about a place that he could afford. He had planned to eat hamburgers for dinner at one of the national fast food chains, but didn't think that a lady like her would be interested in that kind of meal.
"Where are you staying?" she asked while double-checking that she had everything she needed for her meeting. She hated meetings like the one to which she was headed.
Dan looked a little embarrassed and said, "I'm staying about an hour walk away from here."
Realizing that he was paying for this trip out of his own pocket, Ellen said, "I tell you what. I'm on an expense account. How about I take you to dinner at the Top Floor? It's here in the hotel."
"That would be very nice of you," Dan said. He was enjoying the conversation and was sorry that it had to end.
"Great," she said rising from her chair.
"Where will we meet?" Dan asked rising out of his chair.
Smiling at his manners, Ellen said, "I'll see you in front of the Top Floor at seven."
When Ellen had disappeared into the display area, she reached into her purse and pulled out a cell phone. She hit the speed dial and waited for the person on the other end to answer. When he did, she said, "Hello Daddy. Guess what?"
Her father answered, "What?"
"I've got a dinner date tonight," she answered.
"Who's the lucky man?" he asked. There was the sound of him snapping his fingers in the background.
She knew that he was getting one of his aides over to begin an investigation on the background of the guy. She answered, "A busboy who works at Derkins."
"You're kidding?" he asked. His tone of voice suggested that he wasn't very happy about it.
"Nope. I called to invite you along," she answered in a cheerful voice.
Sighing, her father asked, "What's his name?"
"Dan Parker," she answered.
"Where is this date going to be?" he asked.
"At the Top Floor at seven o'clock," she answered.
"Alright, I'll see you there," he said just before disconnecting.
Ellen laughed at her father's reaction. He didn't sound happy. He was probably going to be making calls all afternoon to find out everything he could about Dan Parker. She headed off to her meeting with a smile on her face. She was going to have fun that evening.
Harold stood outside the restaurant watching the young man pace back and forth nervously. The young man had the case for a laptop computer hanging from his shoulder. He kept fidgeting with his necktie as if he wasn't used to wearing one. Harold wondered if the guy had actually tied it himself. He decided to have a little fun and walked over to him. Smiling he said, "You look a little nervous."
Dan looked over at the man and said, "I am."
"Why?"
"This nice lady invited me to dinner here and I'm not really dressed for it. I had to buy the sport coat and tie," Dan answered tugging on the lapel of his coat. It was a basic dark blue sport coat that went with his dark blue trousers.
"Oh, you want to impress her?"
"I'm not really worried about that. I'd be satisfied with not embarrassing her as a result of drawing unwanted attention in her direction," Dan answered giving a nervous smile over at the older man.
Harold didn't know if he was impressed with the young man's answer or not. He said, "Tell me a little about this young lady you are meeting."
"I don't really know that much about her. We were chatting about the restaurant business. She's got a corporate position in one of the chain restaurants. We were talking about how to layout kitchens in a restaurant and various kinds of kitchen equipment. You know, we were having a nice time. She had to go off to a meeting and invited me for dinner so that we could continue the conversation," Dan said.
Harold did not consider having a discussion about kitchen layout as having a nice time. He asked, "Is she pretty?"
"Yes, she's pretty, but there's more to a woman than looks. She's smart. She really understands her business," Dan said recalling the section of one of the articles that had described establishing social relationships. There was the phrase that honest relationships were based on appreciating the whole person.
Harold was pleased that the kid hadn't told him that the girl was a real hot number. He asked, "So what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a busboy," Dan answered without any sign of embarrassment at what many would consider to be a menial job.
"That's a hard job. I was a busboy at one time, but that was a long time ago," Harold said.
"It's not that bad. I worked in construction and that was a hard job," Dan said. He noticed Ellen approaching with a smile on her face. He said, "There she is."
Harold turned to watch Ellen approach. She grinned and said, "Hello Dan. Hello Daddy, I'm glad you could make it."
Dan looked over at Harold and said, "Oh, it is nice to meet you sir."
Smiling, Harold said, "It is nice to meet you, Dan."
"I hope you don't mind me inviting my father," Ellen said rather impressed by how well Dan was dealing with the surprise.
"I don't mind at all. We were just chatting a little before you got here," Dan said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Are we ready to eat?" Ellen asked watching her father's face.
Harold said, "Yes. I'm famished."
"That sounds good to me," Dan said he grabbed the door and held it open for the other two.
Dan walked into the restaurant with Harold and Ellen leading the way. He noticed that a few other men were not wearing suits and as a result he didn't feel quite so bad about his sport coat. Harold noticed Dan checking out the clothes of the others in the dining room. He leaned over and said, "You're fine. Don't worry about it."
"Thanks," Dan said.
"What are you two talking about?" Ellen asked finding her father's attitude towards Dan was a lot more positive than he usually displayed to her dinner companions.
"Well, I was concerned that my clothes would be an embarrassment for you, but your father was kind enough to reassure me that I was dressed appropriately," Dan said.
Ellen frowned and said, "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that you are paying your own way here."
"Don't worry about it. This trip has been worth every penny that I've spent on it," Dan said.
"Why do you say that?" Harold asked.
They had reached their table and Dan held off answering until everyone was seated. Turning to Harold, he said, "I finally made my way through all of the vendors and found the equipment that I think I'll use in my business. As a result of my discussion with Ellen, I was able to work with the salesman to plan out an appropriate configuration for my kitchen."
"What product line?"
"Chef Master."
"There are cheaper products out there," Harold said placing the napkin on his lap.
"That's true. Ellen was kind enough to recommend that I buy the best quality that I could afford," Dan said.
"Are you sure the quality is worth the extra money?" Harold asked.
Ellen looked at her father and said, "You know that Chef Master offers the best value for the money."
"That's true," Harold said wishing that his daughter had allowed Dan to answer the question.
"So you're in the restaurant business too?" Dan asked.
"I started my first restaurant years ago," Harold answered. He braced himself for the third degree that usually followed that question.
"Were you scared?" Dan asked.
No one who had ever interviewed him about his early days in the business had ever asked him that question. Smiling, he answered, "I was terrified. Every dime I had was tied up in that place. There for a while it was touch and go. There were times when I opened the store in the morning that I'd wonder if it was going be for the last time."
"I am so glad to hear you say that," Dan said. Seeing the surprised expression on Harold's face, he said, "I'm still in the planning phase for Parker's Perfect Pizza and when I think about what I'm doing I feel it in the pit of my stomach. It scares the daylights out of me."
Harold looked over at Ellen thinking that she knew all about this kid wanting to open his own place. Leaning forward, he asked, "You are thinking of opening your own place and yet you work as a busboy?"
"Yes, sir. That's why I'm a busboy. I'm learning everything that I can about the business," Dan answered.
"You don't say," Harold said looking over at Ellen. He could see the twinkle in her eye and figured that there was a story there. He asked, "What kind of things have you learned?"
Dan answered in the same manner that he had with Ellen. When he had finished, Harold said, "This boss of yours... I don't recall his name... sounds like a very nice guy."
"Mr. Rendell. He is a very nice guy, but he can be tough when someone is being a jerk. He also earns a lot of loyalty from the staff. I work the graveyard shift and we often have drunks coming in after the bars close. Occasionally, one of them will be disruptive. Mr. Rendell is able to handle the situation with tact. He protects the waitresses and some of them are pretty vulnerable to abuse," Dan answered. That was one of the lessons that his boss had taught him. A good boss protected his employees from abuse rather than send them out to face it.
Ellen wrote down the name and returned her pad back to her purse. Dan was unaware that Harold had waved off the waiter several times while they had been talking. Harold sat back and gestured to the waiter as he said, "Let's get the waiter over here and find out what's on the menu."
A few minutes of discussion between Harold and the waiter resulted in Dan having a steak ordered for him. He felt a little uneasy since he hadn't heard any prices. Seeing his unease, Ellen said, "This is a business dinner. Derkins is picking up the tab."
Harold smiled and said, "Don't forget that you have to talk a little Derkins business to be able to write it off."
"Hmm, any suggestions as to what we could talk about?" Ellen asked.
Turning to Dan, Harold asked, "What do you think of Derkins as a business?"
Dan answered, "I think it is a fine firm. When I started there, I had to read the employee manual. I paid a lot of attention to the mission statement. I think that the company reflects that mission statement. It is fine casual dining for people on the go."
"You read the mission statement?" Ellen asked surprised by that little piece of information. She was pretty sure that half of the managers hadn't read it.
"I was working on my business plan and wanted to make sure that I had a good mission statement," Dan answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Do you have your business plan with you?" Harold asked.
Dan held up his laptop bag and said, "It's in here."
Curious about what Dan's plans were for the business, Harold asked, "Do you mind if I read it?"
"I don't mind, but you'll have to promise you won't open a pizzeria," Dan said with a smile. He started to open his laptop bag to remove the laptop.
"I promise," Harold said with a laugh.
It took a few minutes for the computer to boot up. He swore that the more he used the computer the slower it became. He said, "Sorry about it taking so long. I think it is tired."
"I know what you mean," Ellen said.
Dan brought up the document and then handed the laptop to Harold. Rather than watch Harold read it, he turned to Ellen and said, "I've really got to thank you for all that you told me earlier. I learned a lot from you."
"I'm glad. Did you happen to bring the layout that you worked out with the Master Chef salesman with you?" she asked.
Dan pulled out the sheet of paper from the pocket of the laptop bag and handed it to her. She glanced over it and said, "I see that George helped you. It looks pretty good. All of the gas connections run along the same side so you won't have any problems with running gas. The power outlets look good. I don't see any problems that will give you installation or maintenance issues. You might want to make a mock up of it using cardboard to see if it works."
"I didn't even think of doing that."
"It is a little trick of the trade," Ellen said with a smile.
Looking up from the laptop with a thoughtful expression on his face, Harold said, "This looks really solid. I think you could go to a bank with it. I noticed that your time line has you going to a bank at the end of the year and opening at the end of the first quarter of next year. Why do you have such a long timeline?"
Dan said, "I'm still building a credit rating. I got my first credit card three months ago."
"Oh," Harold said. That was a bit of a problem. He said, "I could probably make a couple of calls and see what could be done."
"Thank you very much, but I still have to layout the customer area. I'm trying to achieve the right look that will make it a fun place rather than casual dining or fast food," Dan said. He could visualize everything up to customer area. That was still a blank.
"That's consistent with your mission statement," Harold said. He handed the laptop back to Dan. Dan turned it off and returned it to his bag. Ellen handed him the sheet with the layout on it.
Dan shrugged his shoulders and said, "What is the point of having a mission statement if you don't intend to meet it?"
"You'd be surprised at how many people think that a mission
statement is nothing more than words on a piece of paper," Harold said.