bridging the gap

to connect two things

I keep hearing the phrase “when things get back to normal.” I hope we are close…our staff has begun the process of vaccinations. We watch and we wait for the numbers. We will likely begin serving on site in July, depending. Fingers crossed.

The bridging of the period before and after Covid is going to be a journey for all of us - and we will need to make some adjustment to our expectations. There will be pivots as restaurants begin the re-opening process…please be patient. There may be hours of operation changes as well as concept and price adjustments. Just know that nothing is bulletproof - life does not come with guarantees, obviously. 

For us at Copine, what’s at the heart of hospitality remains strong; possibly stronger because of 2020 as a whole. Exceeding expectations will always remain our goal. We have been pushing extremely hard to get to through to the other side. At the same time, we are learning to create a better balance, because this career takes a tremendous toll. Throughout the last year our industry has done what it can to survive. 

Patience and perseverance. We look forward to welcoming you again.

march 2020

DAILY LOG - MARCH 2020 - ONE YEAR AGO

Sunday, March 1st, 2020 (6 CXL)

The beginning of the dark-ish days? Not sure what to make of this virus issue, but we will do our best and handle it. No folks on the street today…

Wednesday, March 4th, 2020 (20 CXL)

Quite slow, though the room was buzzing and “seemed” busy because of timing of seatings. Nice people…

Friday, March 6th, 2020 (28 CXL)

Meh. Not cute. Very nice and very vocally supportive guests. Lots of comments on the safe space feel of Copine and how it makes guests comforted in an uncertain time. That makes me happy. I cannot control business levels at this point.

Saturday, March 7th, 2020 (45 CXL)

Very supportive guests trying to help us out by showing up. We are hanging on by a thread; I have payroll this week and very little bookings to shore up reserves. Getting a bit scary but we are just trying to stay calm and control what we can.

Sunday, March 8th, 2020

Better than expected. The stress is very hard to manage in moments and my knuckles are raw from hand washing.

Wednesday, March 11th, 2020

We have definitely hit the period in time where we are struggling for covers. Usually we are stacked up for the weekends. Right now I am at 14 for Friday and 34 for Saturday = less than one of these evenings typical services. Diagnosis of Tom Hanks makes this situation more real for the middle america folks who felt immune, I think.

Saturday, March 14th, 2020 (47 CXL)

Absolutely incredible people supporting us right now. Everyone thanked me for being open, but I think next week we will have to move to take out only.

Sunday, March 15th, 2020 (12 CXL)

Whelp, this is it for normal dine in service for a while. Governor has shut us down, as he should. We will brainstorm new to-go solutions asap. We need a few days to organize and process everything that has happened. Sigh. We need to make it through this.

Thank you, Seattle, for all you have done to support us during this pandemic. Better days feel around the corner…we could not have done it without you.

community

kəˈmyo͞onədē/

noun

1. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals

This post addresses the community of our hospitality colleagues here in Seattle.

To the friends who are struggling to survive in an ever changing landscape: each of us has our own process. The challenges of opening, closing, opening again, snowstorms (and balancing all of that while staying true to the core of what hospitality is) can be overwhelming. Most of us know that unless you are walking in the shoes of someone else, you have no idea what the best course of action may be. The majority of our community is lifting each other.

Shaun and I choose to operate our business with transparency for both our employees and our guests. This involves accepting critique and encouraging open dialogue. Without intelligent discourse and the basic ability to communicate, opinions are meaningless.

Community is something to be appreciated and nurtured.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

dawn

dawn

/dôn,dän/

noun

2. the beginning of a phenomenon or period of time, especially one considered favorable

A new year: an opportunity to set goals and cross them off our list. I love a clean slate…especially after dumpster fire 2020.

I have been thinking about what things from this closure we will take with us into Copine 2.0; (definitely a work in progress since we are so far from re-opening at this point.) I mull over my personal goals for the year…feeling in some ways like time has stood still the last 11 months and somehow simultaneously feeling like I have aged faster than usual? Recent mornings, while I am drinking my coffee, I got to thinking about the dawn in general…

Astronomical dawn begins when the sun is below the horizon in the morning. It is "first light."

Nautical dawn begins when there is enough illumination for sailors to distinguish the horizon at sea.

Civil twilight begins when there is enough light for most objects to be distinguishable, so that some outdoor activities, but not all, can commence.

What do you think?…I feel like we are in the astronomical phase: just a small first light.

But, damn…it sure is beautiful.

completion

com·ple·tion

/kəmˈplēSH(ə)n/

noun

1. the action or process of finishing something

As we close out 2020, at least we can say that this year of challenge after challenge is almost at an end.

These past 12 months held many unexpected things for our little corner of the world: the illness of both family members and pets, the absence of the familiar, financial insecurities and a few team members moving into other fields due to the unknown future of the restaurant industry. I have realized little things are often taken for granted in our everyday life: casual conversation, meeting up with a friend, handshakes, hugs…even a trip to the store to shop. But we remain hopeful and count ourselves lucky. Sometimes you have to celebrate the fact that you can sit with a hot cup of coffee in the morning and just…be.

We hope that throughout this year you have found ways to survive that will become part of your new life: “post 2020.” I was drawn to hospitality for many reasons: memory making, relationships, seeing the impact of what we do for our guests and our staff and even problem solving. Our team has kept this little rowboat afloat at sea this past 10 months. And they have done it with open minds, hearts and a sense of ownership that I have a hard time putting into words.

Thank you all for the good energy. Let’s put this year behind us and cull the necessary skills to tackle the next 6 months.

That’s a wrap.

humanity

November 2020

hu·man·i·ty

/(h)yo͞oˈmanədē/

noun

2. humaneness; benevolence

Wow. 2020, huh? I feel very lucky to live in a place where human beings collectively group together to face what seems like insurmountable challenges. What a difference this has made in the overall mental heath of our region during this pandemic.

We are not out of the woods yet; we need to pull ourselves up by the threadbare bootstraps and cheer each other across the finish line over the rest of this year…and maybe into the next. But given what I have seen over the last 9 months, I know we can. Humanity is how you treat someone who can do nothing for you.

There are some weeds in the cracks, of course. Let them hide behind social media accounts and spew vitriol. Know that these flames burn out quickly. Knowledge is power.

To our incredible guests: thank you for your constant and unending support of not only Copine, but all other small businesses in Seattle. Your kindness and strength have been invaluable.

A virtual hug to all our colleagues who have continued on when the odds of survival for our industry as a whole seemed bleak. We are all doing the best we can; and we have each other’s backs. This is everything.

And finally, keep searching for the lighthouses in this fog. They are there. Stay smart, stay safe and stay human.

our paris

October 2020

City of Lights

As Americans cannot travel many places out of country at present I got to daydreaming about great cities I have been able to visit. And some that are dreams for the future.

I was lucky enough to visit Paris for the first time with Shaun; it makes such a difference to visit a foreign city with someone who knows it well. From Sacré-Cœur to the Jardin des Tuileries we walked every inch of the city on our first trip together. Since then, we have definitely developed a sense of routine for when we visit. We use “Haven In” as our source for rentals. They have amazing properties and excellent service. We try to close Copine for a break at a certain point during the year, so that is generally when we would travel.

Typically we like to stay in Montmartre. The area is home to many cheese mongers and food purveyors that we re-visit when stocking the apartment. Normally our first stop is to pick up some Vacherin Mont d’Or which is only available in the fall and winter. This cheese is literally life changing…you have to taste it to believe how good it is. A warm baguette from Coquelicot and some wine is all we need to start our vacation at that point. (Incidentally, there is also something to be said for a bottle of Pinot Noir from the Monoprix and a bag of Lay’s Saveur Poulet Rôti et Thym chips, as well. Simply perfect.)

A visit to Gilles Vérot is a requirement. Absolutely stunning terrines and charcuterie and they have these petites saucissons that are flavored with Roquefort, Truffles, Fennel or Pimentón. We get an assortment and eat them straight from the bag on the metro.

The main focus of our time in Paris is dining. Lunch at Taillevent is something we try to do on each of our trips. We also try to hit either, Frenchie, Frenchie-to-Go or Frenchie Wine Bar. Grégory Marchand is a genius and we really enjoy his clean flavors and cozy environments.

On our second trip we tried to eat at La Famille (an old hang out of Shaun’s) to find that it was no longer there…this is how we found Le Chateaubriand. Truly excellent; creative and well worth the often long wait time to dine there. Chefs like Iñaki Aizpitarte are doing things with food that are truly inspiring.

As far as shopping: E.Dehillerin, obviously. All manners of things culinary can be found here. Shaun has to head to the Marais for french cuffed dress shirts at Xoos and our last visit in 2017 included a stop at COS for clothing, which was a newer find for both of us. I really love Repetto for shoes. We also like to see what’s happening on rue Saint-Paul as far as antiques. 

Paris. Rome. Lausanne. Mykonos. Barcelona. Tokyo. I don’t know when we will have a chance to travel again, honestly. These are hard days; thinking forward gives a little hope for pleasant things to come at the end of this challenging year. Keep dreaming of places you have been and places on your wish list…and dream big.

the big apple

September 2020

New York City

As our friends out East consider how to rebuild their businesses and search for the new normal, I wanted to offer a little love letter to New York City; it holds a very special place in our hearts…it’s where we met. Any trip to New York for us is incomplete without a few basic needs: a visit to Per Se to say hello being the most obvious. Sometimes it’s dinner, sometimes just a drink or a peek inside but it’s a touchstone for sure.

Balthazar. A must. Shaun absolutely has to have a French Onion Soup and Frites at the bar. I love Balthazar not only because it’s an institution but because it’s perfect for rosé on a hot summer day, breakfast on a cold fall morning or a late night chicken paillard on a snowy night in February. Consistent and timeless.

Madison Square Park is a great place for a quick stroll mid-day. (And the original Shake Shack is there…)

The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis is a legend and a very “grown up” spot. Beautiful mural, great classic cocktails in a really throwback setting. A good place for either a business meeting or a pre-dinner martini. Your choice.

I love to go into Porto Rico Importing Co. in the West Village and check out the coffees and loose leaf teas. Great stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, etc. And the smells are divine…

Kitchen Arts and Letters is a great stop. They have an incredible inventory of culinary works from back issues of Art Culinaire to current cookbooks.

Blue Ribbon is an essential stop for any hospitality worker; open 4:00pm-4:00am and they have beautiful seafood towers, tasty fried chicken and well executed bone marrow.

The best thing about New York is that you can walk and walk…the same way you can in Paris…and find yourself in a great neighborhood with little cafés, bookstores and a multitude of places to tuck into for a few minutes, sip a wine and watch the city go by. The world is very uncertain at present. Shaun and I push every day alongside our colleagues in the hopes that all of us will be back, better than ever. Travel enriches each and every one of us in a multitude of ways.

Here’s to you, New York…stay strong and know we’ll be there when the dust settles to celebrate you the way you deserve.