He has been open for 32 YEARS.
His place has outlasted pretty much everyone, through disasters, crisis, even through the Cubs World Series Championship year when no one was going out to eat at a French bistro!
My parents are immigrants to this country. They came to Chicago from Japan more than four decades ago, as the story goes, just for a little trip— and then they stayed.
I can’t imagine life in the early days was easy. They had to learn English. I never really saw credit cards growing up; everything was paid for by cash. Only what we could afford. My dad worked crazy hours— because that’s what the industry demands.
My mom stayed at home and shouldered the majority of the parenting for me and brother. I always say it’s a damn miracle that both of us went to college, post-grad, and are tax-paying, law-abiding citizens. As are my parents, who became naturalized citizens almost 20 years ago.
This is not a political post. But I did come to a realization today. (Probably a little late to the punch, but better late than never)
The Government cannot save everyone. There are many businesses, big and small, that will not make it. If we rely on funds or programs to help our friends and businesses out— they will not make it.
When everything was shut down— like every other small business owner, my dad and his business partner had HOURS to make a decision.
They made to call to give it a go.
Let me make this clear— I never wanted to be in the restaurant industry. It’s a really hard life. It’s hard on families, because when everyone else is celebrating— you are in a kitchen. I kind of resented it, to be honest. But as I grew older— of course, I started to understand the sacrifice, the hours, the drive.
But the restaurant has been part of the foundation that has made me who I am today, even if I didn’t work there. It’s paid for my education, it put food on our table, clothes on our backs. Essentially, the American Dream.
D&J had a website, but it was static and couldn’t take online payments. Since I had been tinkering around with my own business website— we got a new one up within a day in order to take online payments.
“Gift Cards, Dad, people will buy gift cards!” I told him.
I’ve been *busting* into suburban mom Facebook groups to spread the word via social media. I share so many posts with my own FB friends that I am sure everyone is getting sick of it— but if people are selling makeup, oils, supplements— well, then I figure I can too. The support has been incredible.
