Dear Feastlings,
Most of you are acutely aware that I’m apt to spill my guts about every last trial and tribulation we face here at Feast, but I’d estimate that in recent months, as our staffing situation remains ridiculous, I feel less and less compelled to share the details with you. Part of it is that there’s a point at which we all numb ourselves, and as often as not I’m numb to it myself, or just as often cautiously holding back for fear of numbing all of you to a three-and-a-half-year sob story, especially when sobbing is better spent on people who have it far worse than we do.
So with everything that’s gone on behind the curtain this week, there’s no need to go into much detail. Maybe things will normalize, and maybe they won’t, but I feel like every time I wipe my feet on your email Welcome mats, I abrade the word “Welcome” away a little bit more. I’ll just say this: we’re still short-handed, so apologies to those of you who’d hoped we were doing a special menu for Rosh Hashana. And thanks for your patience while I’ve put my efforts into things besides getting this week’s email out. The good news is the number of people who show up for their interviews appears to be increasing, though the bad news is that we’re still finding ourselves interviewing- kitchen folk, at least- but the dining room staff seems to be gradually taking shape as people return from vacations and physical therapy.
I’m finding it fortuitous, though, that I’m only just now sending out this missive, not because I wanted to wait to tell you about this week’s wine tasting- I’d much rather have told you about that days ago-
and I’d have been happy to remind you that Sonoran Restaurant week continues through this weekend as well,
but if I tell you only just now that I’ll be one of those people who interrupts the programming on NPR tomorrow to remind you of the importance of Public Radio, you might still remember in the morning. I’ll be on the air intermittently if you tune to 89.1 FM, extolling the virtues of the station and bringing along a couple of gift certificates, which you’ll be entered in a drawing to win if you call in during my spot, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. You technically don’t even need to donate anything to be entered, but just like you’ve all so graciously done with us here at Feast for the past few difficult years, if everyone helps out a tiny bit, we accomplish it handily. I hope you’ll join us for a bite tonight, or any time we’re open, really, and I hope you’ll call Arizona Public Media tomorrow morning with a show of support of any sort. The number, if I remember it correctly from doing this a few times a year for, well, a veritable wheelbarrow’s worth of calendars, is (520) 621-1600, or outside of Tucson, 1 (800) 223-7192, or online at support.azpm.org. Maybe you’ll win a gift certificate and use it to treat yourself to a tasty reward. I hope so.
Your friend,
Doug