Welcome to In the Weeds, a new publication covering the business of independent restaurants.
Through the ups and downs of running her own businesses, Emshika Alberini has maintained a positive outlook by relying on the numbers.
She is the chef and owner at Chang Thai in Littleton, New Hampshire, and also owns four buildings in town. But she’s also had her fair share of failed projects, including a line of canned beverages and a smoothie shop. She goes into every venture knowing exactly how much she can lose. If she’s getting close to that number, she gets out.
“You have to know the numbers so well, and if it’s not working, it’s okay. Just stop as soon as possible. Don’t keep running,” she said. “You have to have a line.”
Also in this edition: an argument for reasonable hospitality, a really simple way for restaurants to gain more online visibility, and how this chef sources local lobster and conch in Washington, D.C.
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Chef Emshika Alberini | Photo credit: Miss MegaBug