Opening Week & Reflecting on Vocation
By Zachary Milner
Six and a half long weeks in the books since we’ve started the Roadhouse renovation, and it feels absolutely sublime to be back. As I sit here enjoying this old-fashioned made with our own Zingerman’s Roadhouse bourbon from Highline Spirits, made by our very own bartender Stephen Bottke, I very softly tear up in both eyes. Having finished my stint on managing the SideShow Coffee Trailer in the parking lot, I happened to be here for every stage of the renovation: from the wooden floors being ripped up to final touch-ups of midnight purple on the walls of the bar room, I can’t help but reminisce on all the different people I have seen coming in and out of the Roadhouse doors. It took a TON of effort to make this place as beautiful as it is today (we’re talking hundreds of different people), and eating and drinking our menu again for the first time in nearly seven weeks brought this thought to my mind: this place significantly matters to a lot of people.
Why Vocation Matters
The curious mind that I am, I ask myself, “why does this place matter so much? There are dozens of fine restaurants to eat at.” I then harken back to our mission statement:
We share the Zingerman’s Experience
Selling food that makes you happy
Giving service that makes you smile
In passionate pursuit of our mission
Showing love and care in all our actions
To enrich as many lives as we possibly can.
When I teach our service class, I always highlight the last line: we’re here to enrich lives. Period. To enrich the life of another person, one needs to deliver tangible, memorable joy, which only happens from an authentic source. This is where vocation comes in: a vocation is more than a job, it’s a life calling. Here’s the definition I found in Merriam-Websters: a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action.
I have learned throughout the years of working for Zingerman’s that, to give the Zingerman’s Experience described in our mission statement, one needs to be intentional in all one’s actions, which is to say to be of a vocational-mindset. Every step is deliberate, every word is to enrich lives and bring joy. The more one engages in our guiding principles, the more working in any one of our many beautiful businesses starts to become less of a “job” and more of a “vocation.”
One of the things that stood out most to me in the Managing Ourselves seminar, was breaking down the concept of a “work/life” balance. Holding oneself to this philosophy is foolhardy. There is no such thing, when you truly think about it. Working is just as much part of your life as spending time with your family, engaging in your favorite hobby, and everything else that makes up a person’s life. The balance of all things ebbs and flows with the seasons life often throws at you. I challenge you the same way I, myself, was challenged at this seminar:
Wouldn’t life be better if you embraced your occupation as part of you, rather than something you felt forced to do?
To embrace one’s occupation and to apply oneself fully to it makes it a vocation. When you come to the Roadhouse, every kind smile as folks say hello, every in-depth menu tour by one of our fabulous servers, every craft cocktail made-to-order by one of our bartenders, every order bagged by one of our Showmies (Roadshow Homies) this is what vocation looks and feels like. It rarely ever shows up in some grandiose way, but in the small details that requires one to sip on something (for me, it’s pictured above) and just feel the energy. We’re honored to be back open and to serve you all again, and we CAN’T WAIT to enrich your life via our vocations. See you soon, dear friends. It’s my pleasure to welcome you back to Zingerman’s Roadhouse.