Reaping the Rewards

Since July, Mark and his management team have been working so hard in order to make BJ's in Downey a successful restaurant. Their hard work and dedication definitely paid off when they beat the opening week sales record! As a result, the big wigs from corporate took the entire team and their significant others out to dinner last night at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills. Mark and I have been so excited about this dinner and night on the town and it the night definitely did not disappoint.


We all met at the restaurant between 4:30 and 5:00 where we met the limo that would take us to Beverly Hills. I was a bit disappointed that the limo was not stocked with champagne, as I had anticipated; however, I ultimately had plenty to drink. We met the top five guys from the corporate office for dinner and two of their wives joined us as well. Mark and I ended up sitting directly across the table from the CEO and one of the VP's. I sat directly next to the wife of the 2nd in command. She and her husband are planning their daughter's wedding so we had plenty to talk about. I kept leaning over to Mark and apologizing for not socializing more with him but he was thankful that I was getting along with the mukity-muk's wife. We also chatted a lot with the CEO who just seems like a really, really nice guy.

The conversation was great but the food was to die for! I had a bone-in filet, which I had never seen on a menu prior to last night. It was so thick and juicy and delicious! All side orders are served family style so everyone was able to order what they wanted and we all had plenty to sample. My favorite was the creamed corn. Mmm... The au-gratin potatoes were delicious as well. Then came the dessert! Mastro's has a signature butter cake on the menu so, of course, that's what we got. I love sweets but I'm not too much of a cake person (unless it's from Meijer) but this cake was indescribably delicious. Words can't even express how yummy it was. And it was served with fresh berries. Just divine.

Great conversation and one of the most delicious meals of my life were complemented wonderfully with lots and lots of drinks. Lots of drinks. I started with a smoking lemon drop martini and then really, really wanted a glass of champagne. After asking Mark who asked his GM, I ordered a $25 glass! Then the wine came and an after-dinner S'mores martini with a graham cracker rim. In all, the tab on dinner was around $4500! Talk about a perk of a job well done.

After leaving Mastro's, we swung by Sky Bar in Hollywood. Now, I have wanted to go to Sky Bar since Becky and I first went to L.A. for the night back in 2002. I'm not sure how I had heard of it or why I wanted in so bad but I was so thrilled to have made in in the door that I asked just about every person in the place what the name of the bar was! I kept thinking they were all just messing with me. I don't know, blame it on the a-a-a-alcohol! We ended the night at the local karaoke joint that we went to last week. I butchered "Dancing Queen." Or, I'm assuming I butchered it because I couldn't even hear myself singing it. Mark and I ended the evening with our own rendition of "Redemption Song."

In all, we has an absolutely fantastic time and can't wait to go back to Mastro's and enjoy the food again. I wonder if it would be just as delicious if it wasn't free!

A full-length shot of us before leaving the house. It's kinda dark but you get the idea. I love to watch as we get more and more relaxed as the night goes on...

In the bar before dinner.

Gotta get a pic at the entrance! This was after dinner.

At Sky Bar. Definitely getting a little faded.

In the limo. Nice cleavage.

Our self-portait attempts!

The Lajci's do Bob Marley!

One last self-portrait for the night. I think it's pretty obvious that we're having a great time!

Appreciation

Mark's new restaurant had its grand opening this past Monday and they beat a BJ's sales record for an opening day, raking in upwards of $25,000 for the day. It's been an incredibly hectic, exhausting, and stressful couple of months since he started working in the hiring center. Even the guys at the restaurant have begun to get on each others' nerves. All of their bosses from corporate have been there all day breathing down their necks and their team members are all still learning the ins and outs of the restaurant. Mark's shift yesterday exemplifies how his job has been this summer. He went in at 4:00 pm to close the restaurant. When he closed any of the last four BJ's that he has worked for, the latest he has gotten home without having stayed to socialize was just after 3. He came through the door at 4:30 this morning, exhausted and pissed off. Time will definitely ease these pains and I'm estimating the restaurant will be working the way it should be by about February.

So, here I am, the wife of a restaurant manager who is opening a new restaurant. The only wife of all the managers involved in the opening. I've shared countless hours with Mark and his management team discussing the new hires and the kinks and glitches over beers. The guys have started to refer to me as an honorary member of the management team. I've begun referring to the restaurant operations as "ours" and talk about the things "we" do. Mark comes home upset and I've been there, of course and unquestionably, to try to calm him down. I've tried my best to always have food ready when he gets home from work and I've been doing all I can to hold my tongue when things just don't need to be said at that exact moment. I've been patient and he's been stressed. Mix the new restaurant opening with his quitting smoking (almost 2 months now!) and it's easy to see why we've had our fair share of squabbles this summer. While the guys were in the hiring center, I brought them lunch at least twice a week and I spent two whole afternoons pounding the pavement to hand out free take-out meals to local businesses, just so nobody (namely my husband) would have to do so after working ten, twelve, even fourteen hours in one day.

By no means am I complaining. I am so unbelievably proud of Mark for quitting smoking, especially during this stressful time. I also think that the experience of opening a new restaurant is one that will help him grow exponentially as a manager. Being that the restaurant is just over a mile from our house, he is planning on remaining there for the long-haul. This will be the restaurant where I take our kids to visit dad at work, where we, as a family, celebrate birthdays and baseball games and dance recitals (until BJ's decides to open in Michigan, of course). And, by no means, would I ever expect anything in return from Mark or from the restaurant. My job, as his wife, is to be there for him and to do whatever I can to support him and the restaurant.

I came home from jury duty today to find a bouquet of beautiful yellow and white daisies and white lilies with a card attached that read: Thank you for all your support, understanding, encouragement, patience, and lunch delivery! Mark is lucky to have you and so are we. - BJ's Operations Team

I was at a loss for words at the thoughtfulness that went into that thank you. Mark and I were just discussing how we don't do things because we expect to get something in return or, at least, we shouldn't. If that's the reason why a person does the things he or she does, then they really shouldn't do it in the first place. But, boy does it feel nice to be appreciated.