September (after the Labour Day weekend) and October are The Flying Banzini’s two busiest months of the year. Our neighbourhood is a little bit different from the Byward Market where tourists play a large role and the market is at its busiest in tourist high season. Here in Wellington West we are busiest when everyone is home from summer holidays and the weather is still nice – both nearby residents and staff at Tunney’s Pasture are all on hand in September and October.

Last year the week immediately following Labour Day saw sales 21 percent higher than the week prior to the long weekend. A huge jump. I know many of my colleagues in the neighbourhood experience much the same thing. Restaurants in Wellington West looks forward to September.

We will see what happens this year.

It’s an interesting and unsettling part of the restaurant industry. Chef Mathew Gregoire, Solo, and all the staff can work as hard as they like. We can promote as much as we like. And yet, a lot of our business has to do with the rhythm of the community – the weather, holidays, the economy, federal elections, and all sorts of other things. Many things that are out of our control have a big effect on what we do. It’s both exciting and frustrating.

It’s macabre but I know two restaurateurs told me that 9/11 was a huge boon to the industry. Why? In the wake of the attack, people stayed close to home. They cocooned. And, they ate in local restaurants. Some of the success and failure of restaurants are dependent upon macro world rhythms that owners can’t control and are often surprising and unpredictable.

We are tweaking the breakfast menu, adding some items specifically for kids. These will take effect this coming weekend.

Dave

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We now serve breakfast Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to Noon.

The Flying Banzini community group for September is Ottawa Ottawa Riverkeeper. $1 from the sale of each special sandwich is donated to this Ottawa organization www.ottawariverkeeper.ca/