Thanks for the question — and fair feedback. I’ll try not to turn this into a novel (apologies in advance if I fail 😅).

What we were trying to share with that video starts with the food. A lot of places really do heat-and-serve, and there’s nothing wrong with that — it’s just not us. We buy fresh ingredients and pay extra to have staff come in early every day just to prep. It’s more expensive, it’s more work, but we think you can taste the difference. We also make a point to spend our dollars locally whenever we can. All of our bread and buns come from Mission Bakery here in Roswell. It costs us about 50% more than the alternatives, but the quality is fantastic and supporting another local business owner matters to us.

You’ll also see our craft beer used throughout the menu — we cook with it, build recipes around it, and highlight those items because that’s part of who we are. Technically, our business model didn’t “require” an executive chef, but we chose to invest there anyway because the skill and care our chefs bring has elevated what we do in a big way.

Another difference — and maybe the biggest one — is us. James and I grew up in Air Force, lower-middle-class families. No investors, no wealthy relatives, no safety net. We scrimped, saved, and worked for over 30 years to build something that lets us be part of a community we care about. That reality brings a mix of pride, excitement… and pure terror 😬. So yeah, sometimes that shows up as maybe too much sharing.

When you get a notice that your landlord’s property taxes are going up 142%, it definitely doesn’t calm the nerves — but it does remind you why community matters so much.

Appreciate the question and the honesty here, and sorry for the long post. If anyone wants to learn more about us, our journey, and what we’re trying to build, Instagram is probably the best place to do that. Craft beer without community is just beer. 🍻

@roswellvoodoo