As you all know, we closed the Rochester restaurant during the first part of Quarter 2. I can personally tell you this was the hardest thing from an emotional stand point that I have ever been a part of in my restaurant career. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it was on those who worked side by side with the managers, chefs, staff and guests every day. With that in mind, I believe that Lorelei McGee is truly deserving of this Quarters Spirit Award.
I made Lorelei aware of the Rochester closing decision shortly before the actual date and well before we were ready to announce it to the local staff. After her initial surprise , she looked at me and said “I understand the decision, what do we need to do to make this as smooth as possible for everyone.” She had to carry that knowledge with her for over a week while still staying positive and keeping her focus on the day to day responsibilities of the job. When the day came to shut down, Lorelei was the one who made the calls to our long time employees to break the news and she was the one who greeted all of he staff as they met at the restaurant to get the final information we had to share with them. She was able to put together a solid group of managers and staff to help with the cleaning, emptying and turnover of the restaurant to the landlord and had 95% of the this accomplished in the first 4 days of being shut down. The attitude these people brought into the building throughout the whole experience was a direct reflection on Lorelei and would have made any member of Biaggi’s proud. I know in her heart Lorelei will not think of this as a great experience but to me her attitude and actions during this difficult time really showed how much she cares about her people and how well she represents Biaggi’s.
-Mark Evoy