Page 24 of Eden's Comfort Kitchen
‘I don’t have much of a social life and?—’
‘Maybe not, but you have to rest; you’re not superhuman. Even I don’t work seven days a week, and I’m making money from it. Are you also thinking you can be open eight hours or more for every one of those seven days a week?’
‘I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but I suppose I ought to be there around the same sorts of hours as other cafés are open.’
Ralph shook his head. ‘It’ll never work. You’ll crash within weeks and you won’t keep it up. You’ve got to pace yourself from the start, be realistic about your energy levels. Especially if you’re in it for the long haul like you say you want to be.
‘Make it an event – you can’t be open all day. And if the goal is to bring people together, then make it a couple of hours at lunchtime and a couple in the evening. One or two sittings. You’ll have to subsidise, unless you can foot all the costs yourself for all that food for months on end. How many are you expecting?’
Eden looked blank. ‘I haven’t a clue. I don’t know how many people would want to come.’
‘Then how do you know you can manage the costs, or that your venue will be big enough?’
‘I suppose when we’re full we’re full.’
‘So you’d be using a booking system. And you run the risk of having to turn people away – people who might be in need. Is that what you want?’
‘Not at all.’
‘I might be able to gauge interest for you. I could probably have a word with my suppliers as well, see if they could supply you at cost or close to it. You might have to charge a little, but you could set the cost so there’s just enough profit to cover overheads. That way you have a fighting chance of being able to keep it going – as long as you’re not looking to make a wage.’
‘I wanted to make it free. What if some people can’t afford to pay?’
Ralph was thoughtful for a moment. ‘All right,’ he said after a pause. ‘Make it “pay what you can afford”. An honesty box or something. They can put donations in on the way out.’
Livia nodded. ‘I suppose we could try to get donations from the businesses around here too – that might help.’
‘It couldn’t hurt to ask, but they’d want to know it’s a genuine thing, so I think you have to run it for a week or so first and prove that there’s a point to it,’ Ralph said.
‘I could do that,’ Eden said.
Ralph regarded her steadily from beneath bushy eyebrows. ‘All by yourself?’
‘I realise that’s a big ask, but…’
Eden glanced at Livia. Her friend had already made her position clear – she didn’t have time for this project, and she probably didn’t have the inclination even if she did. But Eden didn’t know anyone else, and Ralph had a point – she’d understood very early on that she wasn’t going to be able to do it alone.
‘I suppose I could try to help,’ Livia said.
‘It’s OK – I get that you won’t have time.’
Livia shrugged. ‘The parlour shuts around five on weekdays. I’d have the kids – unless Mum could do it – but even then I suppose they could come with me. They might enjoy pitching in.’
‘You’ll still need more than that,’ Ralph said. ‘Who’s going to do all the cooking, for a start? Then there’s cleaning and serving.’
‘I don’t know.’
Livia sat up in her chair with a bright look. ‘What about the diners? Make it a sort of cooperative? If they come and help, they can have their meal for free? If not, they pay what they can afford. I bet loads of people round here would enjoy that – it would be the social angle you were looking for. And, Ralph…I don’t know, but…’ Livia gave him a coy look that was almost comical. Eden couldn’t help but think it was a look she’d givenhim many times before and one that probably got her what she wanted. ‘Maybe your chefs wouldn’t mind doing a bit extra from time to time. Like here in your kitchen. Dishes that could be prepared in advance?’
Ralph looked doubtful, but he didn’t reject the idea. ‘You’d want to keep your menu simple and cheap,’ he said. ‘Good filling meals with easy-to-get ingredients, dishes that are difficult to cook badly, especially if you’re involving people where you don’t know what kitchen skills they have. Some people think they can cook and they’re very wrong about that. Big pots of goo – that’s what you want.’
Eden couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Big pots of goo – got it. Like stew and curry and stuff?’
Ralph nodded. ‘Don’t complicate things. If you can cook it in the one pan and you don’t need to be a trained chef to make it, then you’re on to a winner.’
‘I was actually wondering about things that come ready made to put in the oven too. Like breaded chicken and chips and that sort of thing.’
‘I suppose you could, but then you run the risk of having too much going on. How many things are you planning on having on your menu?’
