On the Firefly Lounge post from last week, a commenter named Tom left a lengthy reply about the grand opening party.
"Went to the grand opening last week, and unfortunately they weren't ready... Cool idea, nice setup inside, and it's unique for Westport. I worry
about the service issues, location (a hidden speakeasy is good if
people know about it) and the rep this will get from a horrible grand
opening."
I received several e-mails from people like Tom, voicing frustration with Firefly's grand opening. First impressions make a strong impact, but people shouldn't judge Firefly -- or any restaurant -- by its grand opening night.
I've never been a fan of grand openings, since they combine two
difficult tasks: trying to open a new venue and trying to throw a large
party.
Talking with Joe DiGiovanni a few weeks ago, he told me he was permanently fatigued from working on the opening of Zest. "People don't realize it's 10,000
decisions," he said of grand openings. "Every single little thing is a decision. The glass I'm
holding right now. We had to choose all the glasses and all the sizes
of glasses and how many glasses to order and how much they'd cost to
replace. That's just glasses. It's death by 10,000 decisions."
Even the most organized and well-funded grand openings don't go according to plan. Behold Disneyland's first day:
Give Firefly -- and the city's other new bars and restaurants -- a few weeks so the bartenders and managers can get their feet underneath them. Then judge the places on their true merits. -- Owen MorrisOpening day was a day to remember. Six thousand invitations
to the Grand Opening had been mailed. By mid-afternoon over 28,000
ticket holders were storming the Magic Kingdom. Most of the tickets
were counterfeit.
A 15 day heat
wave raised temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Also,
due to a plumbers strike, few water fountains were operating
in the hot weather. Asphalt still steaming, because it had been
laid the night before, literally "trapping" high heeled
shoes. After opening day, the heat wave continued, and almost
wiped out the park.
The
day was marked by numerous disasters, including a traffic jam, a
shortage of food, and a gas leak in Fantasyland. Even a chunk of window
from the Mark Twain Steamboat crashed on the head of an invited state
senator!
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I went after reading about the post on this blog, and things were great, if not perfect. They were training one bartender, and the one who stirred my drink looked more like he was churning butter, but the drink tasted great. I didn't get to try any of the food, but the shrimp the people sitting next to me ordered looked good enough (though I don't eat shrimp, so I'm not a good judge) and was devoured quickly. I'm definitely looking to go back in the future.
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