Yes it does happen here:)

I have told my story of how the CIG started, but I have not told of my staff, the heart and soul of the CIG. They are my family. Being a stay at home mom for 15 years, I never understood relationship's between co-workers, I saw my husband have those relationships, he would do just about anything for the guys that worked for him, I did not get it.... OH MYLANTA, hit me over the head, do I get it now. When the CIG opened there was 3 waitstaff and 2 kitchen crew, the CIG now has 5 waitstaff, a counter girl,  4 kitchen crew and me, we really could use more, but we have no room for another person, we are on top of each other. We have had 4 babies born, 3 in 10 months, believe me, all of us not pregnant were really scared to drink the water, my beverage sales went up because my guest were scared to drink the water.We have pushed ourselves to our very limits together, and most of the time with great success. We have dealt with ketchup exploding on the Lubbock bomp squad, (it did take me a few days to see the humor in that), we have hidden in boxes, reach ins, the office, the bathrooms(with a mask) so we could watch our co-workers scream at the top of their lungs and then we all collapse on the floor in shear joy. We have had gas x delivered because one of my girls is gassy and bloated and needs relief... and geez we do work with the public. We sing constantly, and always shakin something, some of us have more to shake then others. We dress up for Halloween, we wear pajamas on Christmas Eve( oh they all think that needs to be weekly). We celebrate TEXAS TECH football on Fridays, and always have a friendly word to say to those non TEXAS TECH fans.The line will be out the front door and my kitchen crew is trying to win something on the radio by being the 10 caller, via one of my guest sitting at the bar. We have laughed at each other, we have laughed at ourselves, and we do not take ourselves very seriously, but we do take working at the CIG seriously, through all the fun, tricks and games that we share, we are good at what we do. Customer Service is #1 to all of us and our guest are treated that way. My crew, they are absolutely amazing and  I love them, they are my family... and everyone person that walks thru the CIG doors love them also. I am BLESSED!!!

A blessed Monday:)

Happy Monday, this phrase always catches people off guard especially if they have not been to the CIG before. Its almost like we are trained to hate Mondays. I greet all of my guest  with this phrase, and u know what? it always puts a smile on their face, then usually it is followed with "Whats so Happy about it"? I really want to look at them at say DUH, you are above ground, you can see, you can walk, u even have a little extra money to buy lunch. I love Mondays.... I was GIDDY when my alarm went off at 2:00 am this morning, I had a purpose, no its not saving the world, or curing cancer, its about the Grill being opened and ready to say Happy Monday to everyone that the Lord brings through my door. A few mondays ago, I really needed a couple of hours to get my family ready for Christmas. I never leave the grill once the doors are open, but it was something I needed to do. When I arrived back after lunch rush I heard one of my kitchen crew saying..."We didnt hear any Happy Mondays today, Teresa was gone". I know that Im a walking Saturday Night Live skit and I would not change my goofyness for the world, its like seeing your surrounding's through kids eyes, how wonderful!!!! GEEZ lets not waller in the misery of Mondays, lets embrace it, it gets us closer to Fridays:) I hope that u all have a blessed Monday!!!!

Getting to know the CIG

 Happy New Year from the CIG. If you dont know about the CIG please let me get you caught up. Im Teresa the owner. This amazing restaurant started with a simple prayer, that was prayed daily for 1 year, and a phone call that was placed in September of 2007. I was a stay-at-home mom for 15 years, and I LOVED being with my boys. I was your typical mom, wore baseball caps everyday, no makeup, I was up to date on everything at school, laundry was always done, bills always paid and house always cleaned.My husband had a great business, and as I look back on it now, really no worries. In the fall of 2006 my youngest was starting his last year of elementary school, I was feeling a little lost, knowing that next year his schedule would change and I would be at home even longer during the day without my boys. I started a prayer journal...everyday I wrote "Lord give me something that I can make a difference in 1 persons life". It just became part of my daily routine. Ahh this is where the phone call comes in. In the fall of 2007, on a friday, my husband received a call from his younger brother, Shawn. Background on Shawn, he worked for a corporate resturant chain, he has been in this business for 20 years. He ask Shelby, my husband, "Remember the diner on K its closed and
up for rent, what do u think"? Shelby let him know real quick he had no interest in opening or owning a restaurant, but good luck. I asked what was going on, he relayed the conversation to me. Nothing else was said, but I could not get it out of my mind. On Saturday I ask Shelby to take me over to the closed old diner, with no questions asked he did. When we pulled up to the old office building, that had housed many diners and restaurant's for over 30 years, and now stood there closed, dirty and unwanted, I knew I was home, I cant explain it, but I knew this is what the Lord had for me.I called Shawn and ask if I could go on this journey with him. Me, with no restaurant experience, was asking Shawn, the one with a wealth of knowledge to take me on as a partner. We bought the CIG two days later. Thus began my journey as a restaurant owner. I had alot to learn, we sat the opening date for Oct 13, 2007 we had 4 weeks to get this place cleaned up, give our little business a name, make a menu, order food, hire employees and oh, train me.The mind is an amazing tool, at 38 I was changing my life, I was learning how to be an owner, doing payroll, paying taxes, ordering food, learning recipes.Everyone that knew me was SHOCKED at what I was doing, this was completely out of my comfort zone, and yet I was at peace.This journey that the Lord has put me on has been amazing. I became the sole owner of the CIG in the spring of '09. What a scary time for me. Shawn was ready to move on.. Oh the questions came," Can I do it on my own, am I good enough, smart enough", of course I'm never really on my own, I have an amzing staff the Lord has given to me, but any whoo back to my prayer, Im not sure if I have made a difference in people's lives, but I do know the CIG has made a huge difference in my life. The CIG has given me the amazing opportunity to be apart of a community. Over 3 years I have cried countless tears over the loss of a loved one. Prayed for an ailing guest, watched countless grieving spouses become whole again(yet different). Celebrate new life, new jobs, birthdays and anniversary's. The blessing are endless.With all of this does come sacrifice, Im no longer the mom on top of things, my boys, 18 and 15, are putting me to bed when I fall asleep at 7:00. They remind me of projects and dates, my life is no longer neat and tidy, instead it is full of chaos, craziness, noise and amazing people, that have allowed the CIG to become part of their lives. The CIG is special, we remember hundreds of names, you are greeted with a hug, there is always laughter and music. This blog is a journey of the Cast Iron Grill, there are days I think I cant get it right and  then days that a guest tells me they love this place and all that are in it and then I feel Im honoring what the Lord has for me and has given me. HAPPY 2011!!!!