I love being transparent with you all and I appreciate every single one of you that tunes in every Monday to read my blogs. A lot of these I write as a journal of memories for myself because I have found over the years that life moves so fast for me I don’t want to forget these times. With that being said today I want to talk about where “Noble restaurant” stands.
Hosting dinner parties big and small has always been a passion of mine. There is just something so special about brining people together to enjoy food and beverage. I knew from an early age that I love cooking. My grandpa on my mom’s side “Grandpa Orlowski” was the person who taught me how to cook and my overall love for cooking. Flash forward to my high school years and I told my dad I wanted to be a chef and own my own restaurant someday. He quickly steered me in a different direction siting that it wasn’t the best career move and that I should get a bachelor’s degree in biology instead because I also had a love for whale conservation at this age. I don’t know why he thought being a scientist would be a higher paying more stable career than a chef at the time, but on I went to college for my BA in biology.
Now in 2023 at 34 yeas old, I sometimes ask my dad “Hey are you watching??” Thankfully I was able to tell him that Noble was in the works prior to his death so he knew what was coming. If you have been following along on the Noble journey you know just how long the planning phase has taken. Noble Restaurant was born out of Jeremy & my vision to create that perfect dinner party for everyone, 7 days a week. We were the visionaries behind the interior design and menu creation and my husband’s main focus was to make sure we didn’t get too carried away and that the finances all jived. Somehow my husband let a $220,000 bar ceiling slide through (oops, I may have gotten a little carried away) so I would say he has been more than flexible with our vision. Every I has been dotted, every T has been crossed. With the master plan in hand, we took a leap of faith and submitted our proposal to the bank for funding. This marked a significant milestone in our journey, as we put our dreams on the line and exposed them to the scrutiny of financial evaluation. If you have ever submitted your dream to a bank you know the feeling…if you haven’t God bless you because it is not for the fait of heart.
We have successful businesses already, we have assets, we have amazing credit scores…of course we would like to say this would be a “no brainer” for the bank, but with the current economy you truly just never know. Interest rates are through the roof, banks are spooked of a looming recession and COVID-19 forced many restaurants to close over the past 3 years. Will they believe in us? How could they not!
In this waiting game, we have confronted the stark reality that our fate rested in the hands of others which is something I am truly not familiar with. I am a Doer. Whatever I manifest becomes reality because I am in control. Well…unfortunately not in this case. Most days I do not care to think about the “what if we get a no part” but I will spell it out for you all just this one time. A No goes so much deeper than pride for us. It means the year and a half worth of work is wasted, It means we have lost 10’s of thousands of dollars we have invested into the blueprint and designs, it means closing the chapter on this dream of ours. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about it but I must because I don’t want to forget this time in our lives. Now you may be reading this saying “Well Lindsey why don’t you just sell some of your assets and pay for the project out of pocket…” If I am being truly transparent it is not something that Jeremey, Carmelo or myself are willing to do. Disrupting our current businesses cash flow to fund the restaurant build just wouldn’t be a smart decision for our business. Cash flow is everything to a company so using $3.5M cash between the 2 companies just wouldn’t be smart. Could we? Sure… Should we?… No. This is truly is a lesson in embracing the unpredictable nature of life, reminding us that even the most well-laid plans could encounter unforeseen obstacles.
So there you have it. A little recap on Noble and where we stand. Basically we are in the purgatory. We refused to let the waiting period define our journey entirely. Instead, we channeled our energy into remaining productive and staying prepared for either outcome. We continued to refine our plans, explore alternative options, and build a network of support. In the face of uncertainty, we found the courage to keep moving forward. At best, this waiting period has taught us the true meaning of perseverance and resilience. Whether the outcome is a resounding “yes” or a disappointing “no,” we have come to understand that all we can do is wait. How long is the wait? Well it has already felt like an eternity. I hope to bring you all very positive and exciting news here in the next few weeks. 
