Picture this. You’ve spent years in the restaurant industry. It’s backbreaking labour, emotionally fraught, financially perilous. But you love the work, and after a few years you’ve scraped together some savings. With a deep breath, you decide to launch your own restaurant. It’ll be ambitious: a large space that spares no expense, with room for live entertainment and, if the mood strikes, a little impromptu dancing.
You order flooring from Italy, a custom ceiling from Mexico, gorgeous lighting from Germany. The credit card runs hot. But you can almost see the customers, sated and punch-drunk, in your space. You forge ahead, hiring a management team and reviewing resumés for servers. Two months from opening day, the unthinkable happens: a virus sweeps in. Tools down, work stops. That flooring is trapped in a Tuscan warehouse. Talented chefs and servers abandon the industry, never to return. Bills mount. You apply for relief from the government, but because you haven’t yet opened you don’t qualify. Your dream is being slowly crushed, and you’re powerless to save it.
For two years, this nightmare scenario was a reality for business partners Robin Goodfellow and Amanda Bradley. And with each shutdown and new obstacle, the case for cutting and running became stronger. Yet they never considered it. “I could have left it all behind and become, I don’t know, a banker in Bracebridge…but why?” Goodfellow told me recently. He’s one of the finest bartenders in the city, and he’s been a driving force behind Bar Raval, Harry’s Charbroiled and PrettyUgly.
Nights out downtown with birdymag are my favourite! TheSassafraz HotelXToronto CabanaPoolBar orettatoronto TourCNTower Cheers to a sizzling summer of adventures and giggles. Besties