As someone in the food industry, I can appreciate the hardships and frustrations shared by the author. I've worked for others in restaurants and other consumer-facing food businesses, and now my company is a wholesaler. Some of why my company is like that comes from what I learned in prior industry experiences, but much of it is merely a reflection of my preferences and strengths, both of which compel me toward direct relationships with customers (wholesaling) rather than the fleeting, complicated interactions that come in restaurants, bakeries, etc.

So I can appreciate the frustrations the author shared. Many of them remain a part of my life—the crazy hours, bureaucracy, expenses, etc. Many of them are the nature of the industry. It is, after all, a service industry, and that means service to others. That’s typically a trying environment in the US, with its individual-focused culture. So I’m sympathetic to much of what the author described.

But it certainly reads like someone who didn’t know what he was getting himself involved with doing. Sadly—not critically—I’d even say it sounds like he (at the time of writing) only understands the symptoms of how things happened, not the actual causes. Just one example: He mentions lease negotiations covering four months but then describes the place as being in shambles. That indicates thorough inspections weren’t performed. Many of the self-described problems in the piece follow this pattern, him seeing what went wrong instead of describing what should have been done differently.

Maybe in the intervening time since publication he (and his partners) have learned from this. Obviously, what they went through came with high costs, emotionally, physically, and economically. I can only hope they’ve ultimately benefited from going through this and it improves their chances of success in whatever else they do. It’s never pleasant to read about someone failing, but it’s always great to hear when people turn disappointment into a stepping stone to success.