Sand Castle Bay (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,69
spread too thin to do the job well.
Sometimes instinct kicked in and sent him in a particular direction. Norfolk had made sense because of its proximity to the North Carolina coast and its seaside location. Charlotte had been attractive because he’d wanted to experiment with a different type of market. Both additions had proven as successful as the original right here in Sand Castle Bay.
He sensed Pete watching him, opened his eyes and chuckled. “I’m not going to decide right this second. You could go and do something else, instead of sitting there staring at me.”
“I thought you might want to bat around the pros and cons,” Pete said. He held up a sheaf of papers. “I have all this market research if you want it.”
“No, I trust you not to bring me anything that you haven’t thoroughly explored.” He studied the eager expression on Pete’s face. “But you have a preference. I can tell from that glint in your eyes. Go ahead. Tell me.”
Pete nodded. “I’d like to see us take a crack at New York,” he admitted. “I know it’s a crazy, unpredictable, ridiculously expensive market, but I think we’re ready for it. What’s that expression? Go big or go home, something like that?”
Boone regarded him skeptically. “Tell me your thinking,” he suggested, rather than immediately blowing the idea out of the water based on costs alone.
“I think we could find our niche there, I really do,” Pete said, clearly excited by Boone’s willingness to listen. “Nobody’s doing exactly what we do.”
“Okay, let’s go with that premise,” Boone said, though he didn’t entirely buy that there weren’t plenty of seafood restaurants in a city the size of New York. “The cost for real estate is much higher than it is here, whether we lease or buy. Employee costs are going to be higher, too. So are food prices. That means we couldn’t serve a meal for anything like the prices on our menu here.”
“No,” Pete agreed, “but New Yorkers are used to paying more for quality.”
Boone continued to play devil’s advocate. He wanted Pete to realize the downside on his own. “And what happens when one of our regulars from here or one of the other cities goes to New York, decides to order one of our signature dishes they’re used to getting for under twenty bucks and sees a bill for twice that? Maybe even more?”
“How often would that happen?” Pete argued, though he seemed less sure of himself.
“More than I’d like, I’m afraid,” Boone said. “A lot of people who discover us here travel to other cities, Pete. I’ve had quite a few customers mention to me that they’ve been to our Norfolk location or to Charlotte. I don’t want them to walk into a restaurant of ours in New York and walk out feeling as if they’ve been cheated. And I don’t see any way around that happening.”
“But making it big in New York could establish us on the national playing field,” Pete said. “We’d have people begging us to open in other cities.”
“If it happened that way, it would be incredible,” Boone agreed. “I’m more worried that a failure could destroy our reputation.”
“We wouldn’t fail,” Pete said confidently.
Boone shook his head. “Sorry, Pete, I think we need to focus on these other options where we can provide quality food for reasonable prices.”
There was no mistaking Pete’s disappointment. Boone even understood it. Pete was eager to make his mark in the restaurant business, and he clearly believed the place to do that was New York where celebrity chefs abounded and fine dining was an art form.
“Pete, will you be satisfied with anything other than New York?” Boone asked pointedly. “One of the reasons you and I have always worked so well together is that we’ve been on the same page.”
“I have to admit it throws me that you’re questioning my judgment like this,” Pete admitted, then sighed. “But to be honest, I can see your point. I don’t like it, but I can see it.”
Boone studied his friend. He sensed there was something else behind this desire to tackle New York. “Is there some reason you’re so anxious to get to New York, other than the challenge of that competitive environment?”
For a moment Pete looked so startled by the question that Boone almost took pity on him and let it go.
“A woman?” Boone guessed.
Pete stared at him as if he’d suddenly displayed a previously unknown talent for ESP. “How the heck did you figure that