Napoleon's Reflects Back on Three-Year Anniversary

Saturday was Napoleon's three-year anniversary serving the Oak Grove community from its Vista Grove Shopping Center location, and the popular restaurant's owner used the weekend to reflect back on the pros and cons of running a restaurant.

Owner Sean Keenan posted his thoughts on the restaurant's Facebook page Saturday:

Today is Napoleon’s three year anniversary. I had some time for reflection about owning restaurants. I’ll list the cons first because I want to finish on a positive note.

Cons:
Expensive to open
Lots of government regulation
Staffing can be challenging because you need so many people to do it properly
There is a lot of responsibility that goes into serving and regulating alcohol
Expensive to run
Open almost 365 days a year day and night
No weekends off
No holidays off
Everyone gets to criticize your job performance and unlike almost any other job, if they don’t like it they go to lengths to write paragraph’s on social media sites and Yelp, Urban Spoon etc. All over an $8.00 Hamburger.
You get called at 3AM that there was a break in or a broken water pipe
You get guns pointed at you head to rob you for a couple hundred dollars

Pros:
If you do a good job you can make a lot of people happy
You can make a difference in your community by providing a great gathering place which people want in their communities and can help raise values of all property around a well run establishment
You make friends with a lot of truly amazing people
You get to sponsor kid’s sports teams
You create a lot of jobs
When things go right you enjoy a satisfaction like no other that you have been given the chance to create a place that people love to come too.
You get to eat & drink for free – sort of.

All that said no successful person becomes successful on their own. It takes lots of help and support from all kinds of people. I want to recognize some of the people that made the success of Napoleons possible.

My wife Nancy Keenan, My dad, Robert Keenan, Chris Blanchard, Ryan Aiken, Josh Sagarin, Timmy & Regina Gentry, Megan Hodge, Julie Walston, Brian Gevert, Erin Elkins, Dani Elrod, Ross Waller, Julie Heimer, Mike Veal, Barry Thrasher, Kevin Lewis, Jeff Hayward, Ted Daniels, Jeff Rader, the whole Napoleons Staff and last and certainly not least, the amazing customers we love and appreciate so much.

I really can’t thank you enough!!
Sean Keenan

I sure I missed many names these were just a few that came across my brain.

What do you think of the owner's thoughts on restaurant ownership? Tell us in the comments section below.