By Katy Budge
(a version of this article originally appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Edible San Luis Obispo)
Success in the restaurant business has never been easy.
Monetary concerns such as food costs, rents, and razor-slim profit margins were always tough. Post-pandemic, those issues have worsened. However, it’s the human element of the business that’s proving particularly tough to stitch back together.
Fielding Challenges
Most people know Atascadero’s Wild Fields Brewhouse as an award-winning craft brewery. But this dream project of Ryan and Jacque Fields is also a popular locals’ hangout with a fun pub-grub menu and lively family-friendly atmosphere.
The couple has extensive experience in the brewery industry at such Southern California heavyweights as Beachwood BBQ and Pizza Port. At Wild Fields, Ryan funnels his passion into crafting stellar beers, while Jacque energetically spearheads the restaurant side of the business.
The brewhouse opened in December, 2019. For Ryan and Jacque, the choppy seas of being a new business were about to be followed by the walloping tsunami of COVID.
Thankfully, as Jacque noted, “the beer industry is pretty scrappy to begin with. You just try things.” And try things they did. To navigate through the roiling demands of the pandemic, Wild Fields hosted drive-in movie nights, sold family to-go meals, and even set up a commissary to offer customers hard-to-find staples.
“We had to figure out how to continue to tell our story and become a part of the community,” Jacque recalled. “Really, at the end of the day, it’s your relationship with people that matters.”
For her, that approach also extends to her employees. Even pre-pandemic, Jacque applied a team-building model for staffing. She found that game plan even more important as restaurants lurched back-and-forth towards being fully open again.
“The challenge is always finding people really wanting to be here, who can and will be part of a team,” Jacque said. “You can’t just be in your own little silo.” She includes herself in that scenario, and strives to keep communications open so that employees have an idea of the whole game plan.
Can Customers Be Part of the Team?
Indeed, the pandemic altered how everyone saw the restaurant industry. Above all, it showed that there are options.
Jacque Fields fully realizes that. “It can’t just be about the money because you can always go somewhere else and make more, no matter what line of work you’re in. You have to fit into a team, work as a team. After all, you’re spending almost as much time with those people as you do your own family.”
When asked what she thinks should change in the restaurant industry, Jacque paused before giving a thoughtful response.
“I wish I could get everyone to respect the people who have shown up to do the job,” she said. “The people that work for me are so passionate about what they do. They’re the reason my restaurant is still standing.”
That’s certainly something to ponder. Maybe we, as customers, can do our part to help stitch the industry back together? Yes, we have a level of service to expect, but that can – and should — be communicated with respect. After all, without people willing to work in restaurants, we won’t have restaurants to go to.