Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kate Hancock, Co-Owner of Hugs & Sarcasm, located in Toronto, ON, CA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business partner, Lyv, and I run a brunch and trivia restaurant on Queen St. W in Toronto, serving various customers of all ages and backgrounds from Thursday to Sunday. We pride ourselves on hosting an inclusive environment for everyone. A niche part of our service includes many food items for celiac people (everyone should be able to eat pancakes!). We have been part of the West Queen West neighborhood for over seven years now (previously as H Bar) and transitioned from more of a nighttime crowd seven days a week to our current four days a week brunch/trivia during the pandemic as a survival pivot. We also started to sell imported items from the UK and Ireland during that time so that those who could not make it home could still have a little taste of something they loved. This then grew to influence our menu slightly adding things like Proper Fry Up and Breakfast Rolls to the roster.

Tell us about yourself

I have been working in the industry since I was 14 in the UK (where I am originally from), started washing dishes, and since then, I have done a little of everything from line cook to General Manager to Owner. The rush of great service is something that has always been something I have loved. It is always a great feeling when people leave having had a great party, event, or brunch experience. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of bad services to make anyone question why we do it, but you work through the issues, ride the wave and keep going. Customers don't always understand everything that goes on to make service happen, but the good customers appreciate the result, and that is the way we build our community, regulars, and at times lifelong friends.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think that surviving the last two years for any restaurant owner feels like a massive accomplishment, but to be honest, I love the community that we have built and the people that started as our customers and are now close friends. The sense of family you get from a small business (paperwork aside) is probably the best part of it.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest part of being a business owner is being a jack of all trades. When you have a smaller operation, you have to be HR, Marketing, Accounting, and, in our case, server, bartender, and chef. It can be hard sometimes to try and keep on top of everything and almost impossible to be good at all of it. But that is when you must accept and understand that missing a couple of steps is okay. Sometimes you just have to do what you can, and stressing too much about it becomes counter-productive.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Minimize your initial overheads - run pop-ups - this was not that big of a thing when we started. To be honest, we have pivoted a few times, and any feedback on a pop-up would not represent what we do now. It is expensive to set up, and you probably won't have shiny new equipment right at the start, but you can sub that stuff in when you have a decent foundation to stand on; whatever your required budget is, you should probably triple it anyway.
  2. Social Media - again another thing that was not nearly as big when we started as it is now, but now if you want to get any traction, this is a key part of business management. It feels like a bit of a chore most of the time, producing current content, ensuring what you post is appropriate for your audience, and managing expectations of whatever persona your media profiles.
  3. Roll your sleeves up - You will need to get your hands dirty as a small business owner, don't be afraid to get in there and do the things you are asking of your staff. It is always a good idea to show your staff you would do exactly what you are asking of them anyway, but sometimes it creates a better working environment when they see you in there working through things with them, whether it is the good, bad or the super messy ugly as hell type shifts.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

A lot of customer service used to be based on the idea that the customer is always right, but that is not true. The customer has a certain level of expectation, sure, that is why they have come to your business but realize that they don't always understand the process or sometimes their expectations are a little out of line due to some misunderstanding. They will never see the full picture, just the snapshot from their point of view. Kill them with kindness is a good approach, but don't feel like they get to walk all over you. Most people are reasonable, but there are some exceptions - don't worry too much about wasting your energy on the few people that just don't get it or can't be reasonable if something goes a little off the rails. None of us are perfect; everyone gets a bad review once in a while. It isn't the bad review but how you handle it, that ends up sealing the deal on a repeat customer or a loss.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.hugsandsarcasm.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hugsandsarcasm/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hugsandsarcasm/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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