Classic Flavors With Fresh Local Ingredients - Lodgepole

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melissa Barham, Co-Founder & General Manager of Lodgepole, located in Moscow, ID, USA.

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

Lodgepole is a fine dining restaurant with sustainability and a locality high on our list of priorities. Our support comes from our community looking to celebrate a special occasion, a business dinner, or simply a fun night out. We accommodate a wide range of dietary restrictions and allergies, hoping our home is a comfortable setting for everyone.

Tell us about yourself

Lodgepole was created through a collaboration between my husband, Alex, and myself. Since he was a kid, it's been his dream to be a chef. My interest was piqued because of my entrepreneurial mindset. While he delved deeper into learning about food and cooking, I submersed myself in learning what true hospitality is and how to execute that vision on a day-to-day basis. After years of working in the industry together, we realized that we make a great professional team, and his dream of being a chef transformed into our dream of building our own restaurant.

Our core motivation lies in our community and the relationships built from it. We get to meet so many walks of life through our guests and staff. Working with neighboring farmers supplies us with steady inspiration. The support of our community has carried us through almost 8 years of business, providing us with a platform to execute and adapt our craft through the years.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Looking back at our years of operation, I feel most proud of our overall improvement. Comparing our first dish to our most recent one, I see growth in so many aspects. We've developed our cooking skills. We've honed our concept. We've refined our identity into something that is exciting yet comforting all at once. Our wine list is carefully curated to highlight how we meld PNW ingredients with flavors from my family's Mexican background. Through Chef Collaboration & Winemaker dinners, we stretch ourselves to elevate our dishes and create a cohesive journey from the first to the last course. Each event gives us a chance to do better and analyze how to improve for the next. My husband and I feel a genuine sense of accomplishment that we've earned the trust of our community and we're able to cook what we love.

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

Being a business owner has a slew of challenges, but the hardest ones are the variables we cannot control. Living in a college town means that for most staff, we are a stop on their journey of life. It's a heartwarming pleasure to see each of them graduate and pursue their futures, but behind the scenes, it creates a very challenging form of managing staffing and scheduling. Unexpected delivery issues can severely hurt our business. Our product is one that counts on fresh, quality ingredients, so if our seafood gets stuck in transit due to poor weather or other issues, that means we're unable to provide that product to our guests who are counting on it. During the worst days, uncontrollable issues like these have caused us to close when we'd prefer to be open, but overall these challenges can be addressed by being prepared and riding the line of having enough staff and creative menu adjustments.

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

1. Be ready to give it your ALL. If you build a successful business, your freedom will return, but at first, it's crucial to keep your attention set on every aspect of your business--staff, finances, quality control, everything.
2. Be ready to adapt and overcome. Your idea may be brilliant, but being flexible based on your customer's wants will help you earn their trust in the beginning.
3. Trust your gut. Trust your instincts when hiring new employees. Trust yourself when building your product. Take everyone's advice (and critiques) and then act based on your company's philosophy, not theirs.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.lodgepolerestaurant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LodgepoleMoscow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lodgepole/

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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