Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Ringler.
Hi Linda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My husband opened Chase Creek Smokehouse in April of 1999. In April of 2012 (3 weeks after we started dating), there was a total loss fire. The only thing that survived the fire are the door handles on the new building’s front doors. In 2015 my husband’s FOH Manager quit at about the same time that my job was laying me off. We decided to give it a try and almost 11 years later, here I still am. I’d never worked in a restaurant, so it was a lot of learning as I went. Over the course of the years, I grew our Facebook following from 386 to over 16,000 followers. I also went from being the FOH Manager, to being the bookkeeper, Human Resources Department, Marketing Department, and Maintenance Department, as many small business owners become.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. Lots of worry after the fire. We were closed for about a year and a half and we worried the whole time whether our business would return. People tend to fall into routines and we had been out of theirs for a long time. Little did we know it would be like the phoenix rising from the ashes. When we first reopened, we thought this is great business, but it will die down after the “newness” of being open again is over. That never happened. We have been blessed with year over year increase in business with the exception of the COVID years … another bump in the road. There were many worries during that time. We are a pretty busy establishment and carry out was never really our thing. We had some carry out, but we’d even shut carry off on the busy nights when ticket times got too long so we could properly serve the people who had made the trip out to the middle of nowhere to dine with us. How long could we survive on carry out only? I remember saying that I never thought we’d be excited to do $2,500 on a Friday night, but those first months during COVID, we were not only excited, but extremely grateful. We had people driving over an hour to come and get carry out to make sure that we would get through it. People tipping our staff $100 or more at a time in thanks for coming to work. There were many blessings for us during that time that let us get through it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve been all over the board in my professions. I started out as an Office Manager for a computer firm in the metro Detroit area that specialized in a job costing package for manufacturers. When I was about 23 I decided I wanted to move north to where my father lived. I took a job as a “label girl” (I made labels to go on large metal crates of injection molded automotive parts). That job turned into a transfer to the Personnel Department (I’m probably aging myself lol), and eventually I became the Labor Relations Manager and handled transfer of personnel, grievances, and was a part of the contract negotiations team. When that job ended, I had soured on “big business” and my dad was ready to retire. I took over his video and RadioShack store. That was also a huge learning curve. Due to the change in technology and people using streaming services, we had to close the store in 2012. I then went back to my manufacturing roots and became an Account Manager for an automotive glass plant that made side glass windows for Honda and GM. After a few years, the company decided not to use contract labor anymore and I was laid off and began working for my husband at the restaurant.
How do you think about happiness?
I’m a relatively new grandmother. I have a 2-year-old granddaughter whose giggles make me happier than anything in the world. I love being with my family and she definitely has Mame’ wrapped around her little finger. I also love to travel. I’m so blessed that my husband and I have been able to travel to several places in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, and since we’re getting ready to retire, we have plans to travel to Honduras this winter and I’m going to France in June. We’re looking forward to traveling the world and enjoying everything we’ve worked so hard for.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chasecreeksmokehouse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasecreeksmokehouse
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chasecreeksmokehouse
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chase-creek-smoke-house-chase-2
