In exciting news, we sold our first photo off the wall. It was a work by my father. I was nearly moved to tears. My father has practiced or studied photography every day for 70 years. He has never placed any of his work for sale. He does photography for himself, not for others. I have often found the depth and endurance of his personal passions to be inspirational. For him to sell a photo to a stranger is a lifetime exhilarating experience. Thank you. This morning when I gave him the news (and his $165) he was tickled and thrilled.

I take no commission on photo sales. I require the photogs to use my frames (for consistency of appearance) and then I add $35 to their price as cost recoverey only. The photogs receive 100% of their asking price.

I am very proud of The Flying Banzini. Often I am here commenting on the trials tribulations and problems we are having. Today… a list of things that I think we are doing well.

Working hard to get better — The best thing are are doing is committing ourselves to getting better. My managers and staff all understand that improvement comes from hard work and I see them all working hard at getting better.

Cheesecakes – They are beautiful to behold and a symphony of taste. Raelene’s passion for getting them just right shines through. They are the first food offering you see when you enter The Flying Banzini. That’s on purpose. They are hard to resist.

Ambiance – I am very, very happy with the place. When I took over the Collected Works space I did not know about the brick hidden in the wall for 75 years, nor did I know about the wood and steel beam ceiling. Lucky bonuses that add a TON to the feel of the place. One of the things that I am very happy with is the video installation because people do not watch it. If everyone say watching it I would probably turn it off. But, they don’t. They glance up at it, take note of whatever image is then playing, and carry on. That’s what I hoped. It’s a whimsical addition to the space that does not dominate. As I predicted, there are some that think the name cards, etc are silly. Most though seem to find them fun and engaging. I know we walk a line between whimsical and cheesy but I feel confident that we are on the correct side of the line.

Food – Our pizzas are spectacular. I am super happy with our pizza offerings. Our paninis are the same, although we have a small amount of inconsistency in quality. Occasionally the focaccia is getting too toasted or the sandwiches are not warmed throughout. They are delicious. We just need to increase our consistency. And, the soft bun sandwiches are a little bit inconsistent too. Chef Ryan and I talk everyday about how to improve. He is very good at putting systems in place to ensure consistent quality and, like everything else, we continue to get better.

Beverage – I continue to shrink our beverage offering. I am happy that less is more. I am sure that, for instance, our small beer offering doesn’t please everyone – Moretti, Beaus, and Beyond the Pale BUT everyone is happy enough to try one of those offered. My thinking has always been that less is more and this appears to be working out among the beverages, too. If we were fine dining then we would need a lot more choices but we are simple and small and I am happy to stay focused on that.

Courtesy – We need a lot of work on our service. But, it’s all small stuff. My staff are proving to be courteous and respectful towards the customers and one another. This is showing through and, for the most part, customers have been very tolerant of small errors like non-refilled water, plates left on tables, etc. They see us trying really hard and they are cutting us some slack.

Back into the breach…

Dave