Prologue

Now that I have decided I'm going do this, I've got my work cut out for me. I just finished traveling the country to go on some fact finding missions to launch my startup. Starting a business while so many others are closing seems ludicrous, that's a fair point. Especially if you think about it as opening a traditional brick and mortar store that is trying to sell a product directly to a person, which is definitely not something I'm trying to do. I went looking to see how businesses have adapted to facilitate a hybrid experience of normalcy and safety. How people have responded to the measures public places have put together. What works and what doesn't work, you know?

Replay Lakeview, Chicago IL

I've always loved bars and restaurants, they comfort me. The intermitent clashing of cookware, the subtle roar of vent hoods. The cocktail party effect, as sweet as any white noise machine on the market. The service industry has always had an allure to it I can't find quite anywherre else. It's the perfect blend of clockwork and chaos.

And I've always said- people don't go out to these places because they are hungry or thirsty. To go to a bar or restaurant comes with an intangible satisfaction that only an experience can communicate. Of all of the things I saw, what was most telling was what I didn't see. 

Zunzi's, Savannah GA

The experience has been diminished. Muted. And in some places, muffled under a pillow until it suffocates. It broke my heart to see the sheer number of shuttered bars and restaurants out there. Peeking through the darkened windows, I saw chairs flipped up on tables. Thin layers of dust, and in a few places even empty beers left on the counter like flowers for late loved ones.

Going to a lot of places now, there's going to be a piece of plexiglass between you and the folks behind the counter. And whatever you get, it's going to be to-go. I don't have to spell it out. It's a different world.

So what do these observations have to do with my startup? What makes me think that my idea will succeed where so many others have failed or just been scraping by?

Any business that opens during this pandemic has a unique edge. It's a term I learned from Deathnote, of all places. Second-mover advantage. You can design into changes other businesses are still adapting. Instead of redefining expectations, you can revolutionize them.

Hand sanitizer station and barricades, Cloud Gate in Chicago, IL

And that's my answer. I've got some unconventional ideas of how to go about it. But I think I can pull it off. More on this later!