06/14/2026
Dave’s Sunday Reflection
Every Sunday, before anyone walks through the door, I steal five minutes.
No music.
No tickets printing.
No phone ringing.
Just me, a cup of coffee and a room full of empty chairs.
It’s funny what goes through your head when you own a micro business.
Or maybe that’s just my ADHD.
My brain doesn’t really have an “off” switch. It’s already three days ahead while replaying yesterday—wondering if I ordered enough lobster, remembering the ice machine made a weird noise, thinking about Dylan and Elyse’s college visits, dreaming up a new menu idea, hoping a regular is doing okay, and somehow trying to figure out what’s for dinner.
For years I thought that was something I needed to fix.
Now I realize it’s probably the reason this place exists.
People see a restaurant.
I see Catherine—the anchor who quietly lives every bit of this chaos with me and somehow keeps us pointed in the right direction.
I see Dylan and Elyse, who grew up getting dropped off by the school bus and now cook, carry trays, wipe tables and jump in wherever they’re needed. I hope they learn that while hard work matters, an even greater strength is choosing a positive attitude when life gets messy.
I see a staff that stopped being employees a long time ago and quietly became family.
And I see our regulars…our “framily”…people who have watched our kids grow up and probably have no idea how much a simple, “Hey Dave, how’s it going?” can completely change the direction of my day.
The world feels loud right now.
Everyone is expected to pick a side, win an argument or prove a point.
Meanwhile, most of us are just trying to keep our families together, pay our bills, show up for the people we love and make it to tomorrow with a little hope left in the tank.
I’ve learned something over these last ten years.
Success isn’t always measured by sales, followers or the size of your business.
Sometimes success is unlocking the front door for another day.
Sometimes it’s paying your staff before yourself.
Sometimes it’s hearing laughter from a table full of strangers who somehow leave as friends.
Sometimes it’s sitting down with your family after a twelve-hour day, completely exhausted, and realizing you wouldn’t trade this crazy life for anything.
Maybe that’s why Dave’s has always been a little off the rails.
Not because it’s part of some marketing plan.
But because I’m a little off the rails too.
And somewhere between the chaos, the coffee, the handwritten specials, the weird signs and conversations with complete strangers, we’ve built something that feels less like a business and more like a community.
People tell me all the time that I’m an optimist.
The truth is, my glass is probably half empty.
I just wake up every morning believing there’s enough left in it to share.
If you’re carrying something heavy today, remember this:
Lead with kindness.
Offer a little grace.
Call your parents.
Hug your kids.
Support the little places that make your town feel like home.
The rest has a funny way of working itself out.
— Dave
PHOTO: Thank you and you know who you are it sits on our window sill and we see it every morning.
