Restaurant Management

I’m staying at the bakery guest house at the city center of Luang Prabang, Laos. This is my last stop in this lovely country as I’m jumping a plane to Hanoi in a few hours. The last couple of nights I’ve become quite friendly with the owner, Nao, as we’ve swapped stories of old loves and future plans. Today she woke me up early and took me to her villa in the countryside. We sat under the shade of a banana tree and listened to the Mekong gurgle past. Then she gave me a job offer.

I think that its quite clear that I’d love to accept the offer. Ever since my sabbatical I’ve felt a pull to go somewhere exotic and live for a while. With its warm days and cool nights, unfailingly friendly people, and reasonably charm Luang Prabang is the right place. And with a room in the guest house and food from the restaurant provided to me free of charge, even a minuscule paycheck would go a long way.

Nao wants to spend less time managing the restaurant/bakery/guest house and more time at her property in the country. At that location she’s currently got four bungalows and is building several more with a restaurant and pool. Ultimately she’ll have a resort there where she can charge a great deal ($80) for rich older travelers. To focus on that, she needs someone to take care of this place.

Of course, I don’t know shit about restaurant/hotel management. But, how tough can this be? I know how to manage finances, I’ve managed teams of people before, I’m a good cook and understand what tourists are looking for. And its not like every day you get an offer to pursue a new job that’s certain to succeed. Hell, this place is printing its own money. And I’d be learning Lao, too. Now that’s a language that the valley needs more of!

I’d have already accepted this offer if I didn’t have such a good thing going at VMware. I’ve definitely saved up enough money that I could get back into real estate in the states if I took off for a year or two. But I’d have to be careful with what I earn here or I’d bleed into those savings. Coming back to the states with no job and no money is not something I can allow.

Why not take a year off corporate America? Why do we always have to worry about a 401k or getting a bigger or better house? This should be possible. We’ll see what the marketing douche bag that sits at my desk thinks once I return to the states.