Making Changes

If I had to cite the most important lesson learnt after 15 years in business it would be the one that says don't get too emotionally attached and be prepared to make changes.
French Living has adapted again and made some big changes, all with you, our loyal customers in mind. I suppose the wine bar idea - opening upstairs for a couple of hours in the early evening - sort of showed us the way. But customers didn't want nibbles and a glass of wine, they wanted a French Living plat du jour, cassoulet, escargots as well as a broad choice of wines by the glass. And so we listened and made the major decision to create more restaurant space by removing the shop shelves and serving restaurant meals upstairs - at ground floor level in full view of hungry passing pedestrians - as well as continuing to serve meals downstairs in our cosy cellar.
French Living began life as a retail venture, a unique French shop selling everything to do with food from France. Over the years, the shop space has reduced in size, allowing the demand for eating and drinking to be fulfilled. However, the original fridge crammed full of traditional unpasteurised farmhouse cheeses, charcuterie and homemade patisserie still remains as a French Living focal point alongside the impressive regional wine display, open for retail sales along with a grand creme coffee and croissant in the morning and the afternoon.
Taking away my precious shop shelves seems like a big change, a major blow, but I have to admit it all seems very right, very French Living. It is just as it should be.