Readers of G3 know that we are big fans of everyday cook + everyday wine in Kerrytown. We have written about them a great deal in this space — about cooking classes we’ve attended, lunches we’ve enjoyed, and wines we’re drinking. We’ve posted about their bid for the city’s available liquor license (which they did not get), and now it’s time for one more public service announcement about one of our favorite food spots in town. It appears that everyday cook, the lovely multi-purpose lunch restaurant/demo kitchen/ event space, is in danger of closing, and owner Mary Campbell would like feedback about her proposal to keep it going. She is interested in offering memberships at various levels with increasing benefits; funds from the memberships would give them the influx of capital to keep the business running and sustain its growth. Mary summed up how it would all work in an e-mail to me:
We’re literally going to load a gift card with the membership amount + a 10% bonus. So, if somebody does $250, they’ll get $275 loaded onto an “everyday” card that they can use at everyday cook or everyday wines. It’s basically fronting us the money so we can do our capital improvements and we’re paying folks a 10% return on money they would have spent with us anyway (or so we hope). The cards never expire so people can use it until the dollars are gone and then reload if they would like.
Sounds like a great deal, no? I urge you to please read the proposal and send your comments to everyday_wines@yahoo.com or leave comments at the end of this post. After you do that, I urge you to think about purchasing a membership at whatever amount would support your everyday wine/cook habit budget. Chances like these to help sustain a great local business in a direct and immediate way do not come around often.
I quote her letter in full:
Hello, everybody.
As many of you know, Everyday Cook is at a crossroads and may be closing toward the end of this month. As the Everyday Cook business model has evolved, it’s become clear that the lunch restaurant is our shining jewel. Led by executive chef Brendan McCall and his amazing team, Everyday Cook has gained an impassioned following of foodies throughout Michigan and beyond. The daily changing menu and commitment to fresh, local ingredients is so special and unique that we just can’t let that go without a fight.
When word filtered out recently that we were closing due to lack of capital funds to sustain our necessary growth, there was a genuine outpouring from the community. And those conversations got the wheels turning.
So here’s the deal – we are weighing the idea of offering memberships to Everyday Cook at various levels with increasing benefits. Your membership and the influx of capital from the memberships would allow us to:
- Streamline and upgrade the kitchen area for greater output.. Purchase additional refrigeration units to allow us to sell food and freshly prepared items to go.
- Apply for and purchase a developmental liquor license so we can serve wine and beer, as well as offer wine tastings and wine classes.
- Offer fixed-menu supper clubs.
- Offer space to local growers to sell their products year round.
- Update the restroom in our space so that our customers can use it.
So, you’re wondering “how are these memberships going to work?” Glad you asked.
Lower level memberships would be offered in $250 increments — starting at $250 and running up through $2,500, — and then we will add an additional 10% of value to your membership. For example, a $1,000 commitment will get you $1,100 on an “Everyday” card that you can use at Everyday Wines and Everyday Cook (everything from lunches, wine, other beverages, specialty food items, dinners, wine classes, etc.).
If you have an Everyday Wines bag and get 10% off six bottles, your investment will go that much further. There will be some exceptions such as gratuity and items that we are selling for others and not keeping the proceeds (i.e. local farmers or local booksellers).
We’ll also offer upper level $5,000 and $10,000 memberships that will include the opportunity to host complementary customized private dinner parties, the ability to use our event space, and members-only wine and food tastings. If you’re interested, we’ll fill you in on all the details.
We will spend the next week or so evaluating response to this idea. Ifyou are interested in the membership scenario, please let us know bydropping an email to everyday_wines@yahoo.com
Regardless of the outcome, Everyday Wines will continue to go strong. And, of course, no matter what happens with Everyday Cook, we still have two weeks to savor the best food in town.
From the folks behind the counter and in the kitchen at Everyday Cook
Yikes! I had no idea that this was happening! I hope that their idea works out…right now, $250 is way out of my budget, but I love the idea of supper clubs. How fun would that be? Like in the 1950s!! (But without the discrimination and nastiness that went on in that decade!)
I don’t understand why they didn’t get a liquor license with the new influx of licenses. That just makes no sense to me.
I’m very sad about this, but like Patti, I just don’t have this in my budget right now.
I love her idea, though – it’s kind of like a restaurant version of a CSA.
I am really happy you have posted this.
I want to respond to Jen about the influx of liquor licenses that are being made available.
First…nobody has yet actually seen any of these licenses be made available. So far, they appear to exist only in the ether.
Second…the original license that Everyday Cook applied for was a completely different type of liquor license than those the city is promising to make available. That particular license had a higher value to it and could have been used as collatoral that the store could then use to borrow money against to make all of these improvements.
Instead of supporting a local business that is doing something unique, the city decided keep the license for themselves and gave it to their city-owned golf course. This was a complete shame.
The city’s actions have left a great local business and the best restaurant in the city high and dry (no pun intended).
I would highly recommend that people consider the offer that the store is putting forth. I would love to see Everyday Cook succeed.
Ron.
It *is* a chunk of money to put down at one time (why it’s almost as much a filling up the gas tank for a month
) but folks should keep in mind that it’s store credit. So if you buy wine there, it will come back over the course of time (with a 10% return, as well).
Maria…Great point.
And…if you load up that gift card, you get 10% extra put onto it. So a $250 card gets $275 loaded to it. Then…if you buy 6 bottles of wine at one time, take an additional 10% off the cost.
I am definitely buying a card.
Ron.
We will be too.
I just sent an “Everyone” email to all employees at Zingerman’s to let them know about this. If anyone knows of other businesses in the area which would be filled with wine lovers maybe you could ask an employee of that business to send an “Everyone” email to their colleagues.
One business that comes to mind is the downtown Google. I’ll bet there’s some wine drinkers in that crowd given their love of Zingerman’s Catering.
Has this been posted on arborwiki yet? I’ll go check.
Oops, I meant “Arbor Update” blog not Arborwiki
I spoke with the everyday cook people yesterday and it sounds like there was an amazing response to this idea, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to fund the changes they had hoped to make. Depressing.
The last week of everyday lunch is going on now through Saturday. Everyone should try to get there to savor the experience for one last time.
[...] readers. It’s official: despite a great response from the community to Mary Campbell’s proposal to offer memberships, everyday cook in Kerrytown will be closing this Saturday, June 21. The need for capital was too [...]