Resilience pays off for first-time entrepreneur after crash shut down Machias restaurant for a month
By Tim Cox, Bangor Daily News, Maine | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
And one thing new businesses should plan for, she observed, is contingencies -- the unexpected.
"But there are certain things that happen ... that you could absolutely not expect," she said Wednesday.
Case in point: first-time entrepreneur
Burke's restaurant is open once again after a freak accident knocked it out of commission for about a month. A minivan drove into the side of the building about
"Thank God that nobody was hurt," Burke, 57, said at his business Wednesday. An employee was scheduled to be on duty at about the time the crash occurred and could have been struck while washing the floor in the area.
The accident spurred a gas leak, and the landlord immediately had to turn off the gas. With all the pilot lights for the ovens and other cooking equipment, "we could have had a big kaboom," said Burke. "Scary. Very scary."
Burke, who grew up in
"I got bored," said Burke. "Because I'm always doing something." Plus, "I've always wanted to own my own business," he said.
His wife, Martha ("Marti"), is a dental hygienist in
After they decided to invest in a franchise, the Burkes focused on the
"I wasn't sure," said Farnsworth, who discussed the company's
"We were absolutely blown away by the volume that we did from that store," said Farnsworth of sales since it opened in
The restaurant offers good food with fresh, homemade ingredients at prices that a family can afford "and not break their budget," said Burke, and they can afford to come back again.
"Repeat customers keep businesses alive," he said.
The restaurant is located adjacent to the
"We fill a niche down there in
"There was nothing to offer ... like what we have," he said. "That's why we have done well down there."
Pat's Pizza was launched by
The company has been gradually expanding the past 30 years and now has 16 locations throughout
"I don't go out looking for locations," said
Another franchise is in development in
As described by Burke, the driver involved in the accident backed out of a parking spot at the adjacent
The crash destroyed two ovens with a combined value of
"I was stressed," recalled Burke. "OK, what do I do?"
The first thing he did was call his insurance agent.
Burke received considerable offers of help and, more importantly, an outpouring of emotional support from people in the community, he said. "The community has been great."
He was determined to persevere. "I don't take no for an answer," said Burke.
It is a singular quality that is very important for any entrepreneur, said Cash-Smith, especially given the restaurant industry, which has a very high failure rate -- if not the highest -- of new businesses.
"When you have resilience," said Cash-Smith, "it carries the day. It's the tipping point for me. If you can withstand extreme stress, extreme tension, and get up every day and keep it going, you're likely be successful in a business."
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