Vive la France!
07/03/07 10:30 PM
Today was my son
Christopher's birthday. After an explosion of
paintball stuff (barrel cover, squeegee, hopper,
pants) for gifts we went to see the movie,
"Ratatouille," the latest offering from
Disney's Pixar Studio. It's about a rat in
France who longs to be a chef and by some
peculiar circumstances finally gets his chance
in Paris in a world renown restaurant. We really
enjoyed it. It was very funny.
Well, in the Rollins family, when it's your birthday you get to decide what or where to eat for dinner. Christopher couldn't decide - grilling steaks at home or out to eat at Miyabi's. And then around noon we got a phone call from a new restaurant opening here in Charleston called The Fat Hen - 3140 Maybank Hwy on Johns Island. They were having an invitation only "pre-opening" for friends and family - a kind of dry run to promote their restaurant and work out any kinks. On top of that - it was free! Especially after the movie, it sounded great to Christopher.
How we got on that list, I'll never know, although Dan and Tracy Long at our church do know the chef and he did visit our church earlier this year. Fred Neuville, formerly of the Coast and 39 Rue de Jean is the chef. The Fat Hen is advertised as Lowcountry Comfort food with a french flair - and boy did it deliver! The atmosphere was casual with a touch of class. The service was friendly and welcoming - although you could tell some were still feeling their way. But by far the best part of the evening was the meal. Patrons were to pull an appetizer and entree choice randomly from a cup - a way to ensure everyone tried something different from the menu. Honestly, it was kind of exciting and it encouraged you to share your dish with others at your table. And all of it was great - from the bread, salad, crab soup, and mussels, to the short ribs, crab cakes, pork chop, and salmon! And oh the dessert - a chocolate pate surrounded with a vanilla bean sauce and drizzled with a raspberry sauce. Chef Neuville came by our table and remembered my name and our church (Fred, if you come back to Coastal and bring your family and friends - I'll come back to The Fat Hen and bring my family and friends - actually, I'll come back either way). The biggest endorsement was my son simply saying that he would come back again on any birthday.
But the thing that stood out to me was that instead of a bill we were given a small opinion card for us to write down our thoughts. They wanted to know our opinion on the atmosphere, the music, the service, and the food. When someone visits Coastal, we tell them not to give. We send them a letter with a self-addressed, stamped, "First Impression Card." We ask for their feedback on what they noticed first, what they liked, and what they disliked. In other words, we're asking for their opinion on the atmosphere, music, service, and message. And on top of all that, we give them a $5 gift card and say that their next journey to Coastal is on us.
Just being at The Fat Hen reminded me of the faith and commitment it takes to start something from nothing. Seeing the anticipation and excitement in the air reminded me of those early days before our church "opened." You pour your heart and soul into everything you do. It also reminded me how important it is to keep and maintain that same mindset - the excitement, the anticipation, the attention to detail and excellence, the customer service, faith, commitment. And the best form of advertisement is simply the buzz of word of mouth. I'm not sure if there are more restaurants or churches in Charleston - but I do know that many of both have come and gone. Coastal is still here and growing stronger day by day. I for one will be praying for Chef Neuville and his new endeavor. And we didn't even see any french rats - vive la France!
Well, in the Rollins family, when it's your birthday you get to decide what or where to eat for dinner. Christopher couldn't decide - grilling steaks at home or out to eat at Miyabi's. And then around noon we got a phone call from a new restaurant opening here in Charleston called The Fat Hen - 3140 Maybank Hwy on Johns Island. They were having an invitation only "pre-opening" for friends and family - a kind of dry run to promote their restaurant and work out any kinks. On top of that - it was free! Especially after the movie, it sounded great to Christopher.
How we got on that list, I'll never know, although Dan and Tracy Long at our church do know the chef and he did visit our church earlier this year. Fred Neuville, formerly of the Coast and 39 Rue de Jean is the chef. The Fat Hen is advertised as Lowcountry Comfort food with a french flair - and boy did it deliver! The atmosphere was casual with a touch of class. The service was friendly and welcoming - although you could tell some were still feeling their way. But by far the best part of the evening was the meal. Patrons were to pull an appetizer and entree choice randomly from a cup - a way to ensure everyone tried something different from the menu. Honestly, it was kind of exciting and it encouraged you to share your dish with others at your table. And all of it was great - from the bread, salad, crab soup, and mussels, to the short ribs, crab cakes, pork chop, and salmon! And oh the dessert - a chocolate pate surrounded with a vanilla bean sauce and drizzled with a raspberry sauce. Chef Neuville came by our table and remembered my name and our church (Fred, if you come back to Coastal and bring your family and friends - I'll come back to The Fat Hen and bring my family and friends - actually, I'll come back either way). The biggest endorsement was my son simply saying that he would come back again on any birthday.
But the thing that stood out to me was that instead of a bill we were given a small opinion card for us to write down our thoughts. They wanted to know our opinion on the atmosphere, the music, the service, and the food. When someone visits Coastal, we tell them not to give. We send them a letter with a self-addressed, stamped, "First Impression Card." We ask for their feedback on what they noticed first, what they liked, and what they disliked. In other words, we're asking for their opinion on the atmosphere, music, service, and message. And on top of all that, we give them a $5 gift card and say that their next journey to Coastal is on us.
Just being at The Fat Hen reminded me of the faith and commitment it takes to start something from nothing. Seeing the anticipation and excitement in the air reminded me of those early days before our church "opened." You pour your heart and soul into everything you do. It also reminded me how important it is to keep and maintain that same mindset - the excitement, the anticipation, the attention to detail and excellence, the customer service, faith, commitment. And the best form of advertisement is simply the buzz of word of mouth. I'm not sure if there are more restaurants or churches in Charleston - but I do know that many of both have come and gone. Coastal is still here and growing stronger day by day. I for one will be praying for Chef Neuville and his new endeavor. And we didn't even see any french rats - vive la France!
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