Throw in the towel?

[coquille]

Good for you Rita !
Take the day off, buy a bottle of something good and drink it on a bench in the sun.... it will make you fell better, I 'm sure of it !!

[Wyoming]

You've gotten some good advice here from personal experience. However, bottom line, you have to do what is best for you. I've owned several restaurants and always made sure my employees were the highest paid in town. I also expect 100% from them every day. I also realized that I was responsible for the bills. They could walk away and find another source of income the next day. Some of the decisions you make over the next few weeks and months could affect your life for years. Don't keep a business open so that one employee can go "help some people." Develop an exit plan that best suits you, implement it and take some time off, relax and figure out what you need to do to make yourself professionally and personally happy.

[RitaFajita]

I liked what you said, Wyoming. Thanks.

And I did take take some nice time off coquille

Here's what happened over the past few days. I only had 4 employees left anyway. One got evicted from his apartment and was going to have to move out of town by next week. One was going to have to go back to Virginia for family reasons. His notice was to run out next week. One is a shareholder who didn't care if we closed or not (burn out). The only one left was the girl who had the summer vacation plans, and she asked off for all next week- school stuff + going home for easter. So I set a final close day for yesterday (Sunday), and I offered the girl a bonus in the amount that she still needed in order to go through with her summer plans. It was a lot cheaper than it would be staying open just for her. She said I didn't need to do that, but I might anyway. She's a great girl.

Anyway, my business is now closed

It's weird, but I am relieved, too. I have a lot of mopping up to do, though. You have to call sooooo many people and fill out soooo many forms. There's the city, the county, the state (about 3 different ways), the IRS, social security, SUTA, FUTA, property tax, insurance (2 ways), the health department, the credit card machine people, not to mention Coca Cola and food distributors....who am I forgetting??? Oh yeah, fire extinguisher people, bug man, bank, utilities, phone. Who else? I'm sure there is more.

Anyway, I think I'm gonna be okay. I have some ideas about what to do next, but they are stil formulating.

I'll let you know what develops, and thanks again for all the support!
RF

[coquille]

Yo Fagita !!
Good for you. All the things you wrote sound very good to me, you may be proud of yourself

Just wait and see.... I'm sure that one of these days something great is going to come your way! After all it's spring ( at least here it is )

[chiffonade]

I know you chose what was right for you and your family. Perhaps another time, another place, another set of circumstances. I felt terrible when we closed our place and swore "never again." But I know lots of people who have lost pets and swore them off forever, only to wind up at the local shelter three weeks later, giving some poor unwanted dog a reprieve.

Our restaurant experience taught me some important lessons and I will not make those mistakes again. I wish the same for you.