No. 03 - Why a restaurant?
how a trip to Oaxaca solidified our decision to open a restaurant
We get asked this question a lot. Why a restaurant? We get it! It’s high-risk with potentially low reward. It’s super expensive with thin margins. It’s hard work and you’re signing up for a lifetime of putting out fires. At times, it really does feel like the odds are stacked against you and you sound crazy for wanting to pursue it.
So why a restaurant?
In today’s issue, I’ll share my why, but I thought it would be fun to have Louis share his thoughts too! We’ll also be highlighting some moments throughout our Oaxaca trip that shifted our mindset.
It all started, last September, with an email from Kata, my life/career mentor and the founder of El Camino Travel, asking if I wanted to go on a trip to Oaxaca with Louis. Since I’d been on a few trips back in my day, as the travel coordinator and host, I was really excited to finally show Louis the magic of El Camino.
On our first night in Oaxaca, right before the welcome dinner to meet the group, a CUTE little Victorian house hit our inbox from our realtor. Yes, we were in the market to buy a home. (Spoiler: not anymore!) I wanted it though! While getting ready for dinner, I was emailing our realtor to see how we could get pre-approved and to do a virtual walk-through. And, of course, Louis and I got into a heated conversation about either opening a restaurant or buying a home. We couldn’t do both. For me, a home meant room for family to stay, space to potentially grow our own and feeling like we were progressing in life like all our other 30-something friends. But a restaurant of our own also meant that I didn’t uproot Louis’ thriving career in LA for no reason (Read: leaving my dream job lol).
LOUIS: To be honest, I didn’t remember many of the details of that night until Jolyn prompted me to recount it. The memories of meeting our travel-mates, the welcome dinner, the conversations, and the mezcal really overtook me. But I do remember breaking down in tears because, for the first time, we were truly at odds. Jolyn wanted a house, a project of her own. And selfishly, I wanted my own project; I wanted my restaurant. Part of me couldn’t handle the thought of my dreams coming before hers. But she let me be selfish, she told me to go for it, and she consoled me in my shame. I think we both knew that the restaurant should come first. She also pointed out that a business could make us money, while a home would make us house-poor (I think in an effort to make me feel better, but I agreed). It felt like we finally had direction: from that moment on, when anyone asked what I did, I responded, I’m opening a restaurant.
After that conversation, we pulled ourselves together and walked out of our hotel room to meet our travel-mates for the first time. We were greeted with a welcome mezcal cocktail and an ice breaker question, what is the best praise or advice you have received?
LOUIS: When we went on this trip, we’d collectively been through over a year and a half of a global pandemic, isolation, unrest, and fear. So all of a sudden, I’m sitting at a table with 10 strangers in a new country, a little overwhelmed and apprehensive. It was surreal. What is the best praise or advice you have received? The answer that stuck with me came from a self-made, female entrepreneur. For her, it was a Nike ad that hit the most: Just Do It.
After our welcome drinks, we walked to our welcome dinner! A small, local restaurant serving a tight tasting menu (and more mezcal, of course). Jolyn and I sat at different ends of the table and the conversation split naturally. We spent the dinner officially introducing ourselves to the rest of the group, connecting the dots on how we’d heard of El Camino, eating and dissecting delicious plates of food, and you could just feel everyone’s walls coming down.
It’s interesting how such a simple question encouraged us to share and how, sometimes, it’s easier to be vulnerable with complete strangers than your closest friends. From then on, every morning, our local host would greet us with another question. Each was just as thought-provoking as the next, like something straight out of We’re Not Really Strangers. And with each answer, we learned something new about each other, sparking curiosity amongst the group and even deeper conversations throughout the day. One of the questions that got us thinking was, If money were not a consideration, how would you spend the days of your life?
LOUIS: Imagine the life you could have if money was not an object. Jolyn and I have daydreamed about having pied-à-terres in our favorite cities; we’d jump around from Mexico City to Paris to DC, working on passion projects and meeting cool people.
The second day of our trip was a pretty comprehensive street food tour. As we hopped from food stand to food stand, in and out of different market stalls, I wondered aloud about what I would cook at my own restaurant and how the food would be labeled. Somewhere in between tlayudas and tepache, the question-of-the-day got me thinking, could we create more than just a restaurant, could we do more than just serve food, but more importantly, why are we doing this? I found myself dreaming bigger.
The topic of opening a restaurant has been floating around since before we moved to Portland. We knew it was an idea that would eventually come to life, but we didn’t know exactly when or how. For me, hospitality has been a part of my life since my first job at a frozen yogurt shop. I studied it, I worked in it, and it was my ticket to financial independence. Working in a restaurant was not going to make me rich, I knew that, but it was a safety net just big enough to give me the confidence I needed to take risks and the freedom to explore other interests while not worrying about the bills from my 20-something lifestyle. I knew that I had a valuable skill set that could make me enough money to live (scrappily) and a built-in community to be a part of no matter where life took me, to a new city or through a career change. While working in hospitality, I’ve had my share of cliche negative experiences, but also really positive ones too! I want to create a safe and healthy restaurant environment for people to work in and (hopefully) give them the same sense of confidence, empowerment, and community that the industry gave me. I don’t think this restaurant is going to change the world, but what if it supported the person who eventually will?
LOUIS: I’m one of those lucky people who’ve always known what they’ve wanted to do. I’ve always known I would open a restaurant; the entrepreneurial spirit came from my parents, the something of my own comes from being a second child. And the food? Yes, my family has always cared deeply about food. We’d cook for big occasions, and I’d spend a little time in the kitchen with my grandparents both at home and in Taiwan. But, especially as we got older, and as my parents worked more and more, the kitchen table we’d gather around at the end of the day was almost exclusively outside of our home. We’d celebrate at the Olive Garden (or Red Lobster or Cheesecake Factory) and we’d have weeknight meals at the local northern Chinese mom-and-pop. Sunday brunch was at the pho spot in the supermarket and we knew the owners of the homey Korean restaurant the next town over. In a way, I grew up in restaurants. They accepted me, they comforted me, they nourished me, and I want to give that to others.
What’s great about traveling is that it can bring you out of life’s monotony. What’s magical about traveling with El Camino are the people who go on the trips. Somehow the company attracts early adopters, entrepreneurs, and creatives (at heart) who are open to human connection and deeply empathetic. Getting 12 of those folks, from all over the world, and putting them together on a 5-day adventure through a culturally-rich city is a recipe for human connection of the highest quality. You learn unfiltered stories about other people’s struggles, past experiences, and life goals, while you share yours just as openly and honestly. So many heart-to-hearts were had during delicious meals, late night hangs at the hotel, and car rides to the next destination. In an environment like that, everyone seemed to lead with curiosity and it was so beautiful to watch and experience first-hand. Mind you, this was the first international trip most of us had taken since COVID and it was obvious how much we all needed this type of connection.
LOUIS: The crazy thing about all this is that it only took a few days for me to go from unsure and scared about this project to completely stoked for it. Every little conversation pushed me further, every idea was met with resounding support and enthusiasm. It’s really a testament to the El Camino aura, and it shows the power of positivity. Affirmations, on the surface, can seem really woo-woo. But in practice, if you believe, they can completely change you.
This issue has really become my our love letter to El Camino Travel (not sponsored! lol). Coincidentally, or not, my two pivotal realizations happened on El Camino trips: 1. deciding to change my career from hospitality to interior design and 2. deciding to open a restaurant with Louis. I somehow owe these life pivots to El Camino for introducing me to folks who inspire me with their stories and embolden me to take chances in my own life.
- Jolyn
What a trip :D
It’s amazing how through the dips of COVID and other curveballs life has thrown, this trip was the awakening of so many questions but also boldness through it all.
Loved both your perspectives!!! It synced your journey together.
LOVELOVELOVE ♥️