Last night I thanked my wife for making dinner and for some reason blurted out, “I am always thankful to anybody who nourishes me.” That got me to thinking about how much I appreciate restaurants. How thankful I am not only to be a part of a business that serves them, but simply that they exist as a vital part of every community.

Restaurants provide people with a place to gather with friends, a place to come in from the cold and have a warm meal, a place to cool off and replenish, a place to take your significant other for a quiet, romantic evening, a place to relax while somebody provides you sustenance, and so on. I could make this list a mile long.

So, thank you. Thank you to all of you who own, manage and work for restaurants. I tip my hat to you and offer my absolute appreciation for what you do.

Thank you to the hosts and hostesses who greet us with a smile when we walk in your door, and happily find us a nice table where we can take a load off and enjoy our meal.

Thank you to the servers who also greet us with a smile, and then spend the next 30-60 minutes taking care of us, offering recommendations, noticing when our water is empty, checking in to make sure all is well, and so forth.

Thank you to the bartenders who mix up our drinks with passion and attention to detail, who somehow manage to juggle 50 things at once and still get it all right without breaking a sweat.

Thank you to the managers who genuinely care if we are enjoying our meal and our time in your establishments and stop by to check on us, who see everything that’s happening and make adjustments on the fly to make sure everything runs smoothly each and every meal.

Thank you to the cooks who prepare the meals that nourish us. You are mostly behind the scenes but your work is like art and it’s what gives our bodies the nourishment we need to continue our day.

Thank you to all of the other roles and positions I’ve left out. Every single one of you is absolutely critical to the success of our visits to your establishments.

Finally, thank you to the restaurant owners who’ve hung an “Open” sign on your door and welcome us into your establishments day in and day out. You’ve taken significant risks, you’ve poured your hearts and sweat and tears into the success of your businesses, you’ve provided your entire team with an opportunity to earn a living, and you do more for your communities than most people will ever know.

I couldn’t be happier, and more proud, that Schedulefly serves businesses like yours!

Wil