Muddy’s Blog

Vision for Muddy's Grand (Re)Opening

Vision for Muddy's Grand (Re)Opening

I learned about visioning from ZingTrain in 2012 and it's a key ingredient in how Muddy’s approaches planning and projects.  Now we even teach it to other organizations!  At its core, visioning is about discovering and communicating what you WANT. It isn’t a to do list or a strategy.  It’s a story about the future: how it looks, feels, even sounds, tastes, and smells! 

At our all-hands meeting this morning (standing 6 ft apart from each other on the lawn on Midtown shop), we visioned together what success on our "last day" (for now) looks & feels like... and how we envision our grand (re)opening.  It was emotional for sure but I'm so proud of this team and love what we came up with.   
We share it with you because you ARE Muddy's too and we wouldn't be here without you.  You're our people and we love you. 

XOXO,
Kat G, Andrea, Bridget, Kip, Emily W, Monica, Jordan, Melodie, Amy, Leah, Kat D, Catherine, Noah, Lisa, TJ, Becky, Emily G, Hannah G, Caolinn, Claire, Tabitha, Alyssa, Andrew, Melanye, Ayesha, Julie, Diana, Hannah Lauren, Ebony, Kirby, Dena, Meg, Hannah S, Megan, Cassie, and Anna

 

Vision for Re-Opening 2020

It’s the dog days of Summer 2020 and at Muddy’s we just celebrated our Grand (Re)Opening!  Last week we had a mini “Gnome Camp 2020” to re-orient, catch up with old coworkers, and welcome a few news faces to the team. 

For the last few months, Muddy’s has been hibernating…

On April 1, we celebrated a “last” day for a while as a shop and a team.  We made sure every customer- and every gnomie- felt loved and appreciated.  Every gnomie worked a last shift who wanted to and even though the world felt upside down, everyone on the Muddy’s team felt informed, respected, and appreciated throughout the process.

Our Mad Props board was full to bursting and we sold out of everything!  The day was bustling as lots of customers turned out to wish us well and get their fix, but things also went very smoothly as we were well staffed and utilized outdoor space to keep guests safely distanced as well.  We definitely saw so many familiar, beloved faces and we’re feeling so much gratitude for our entire community.  The day has been full of laughter, appreciations, and fun as we enjoy our time with each other and our guests.  Monica’s “dad joke” game has been strong and Bridget thanked her team with a zany ribbon dance! We got some great group photos- even while physically distanced- and we all savored the sweet smells of our favorite items baking.

We ended the day with a champagne toast (and were even joined remotely by a few staff who weren’t able to be here in person) and while we felt sad- and yes, a little scared- we also felt so proud of ourselves and our team for how we’ve handled this crisis and served our community.

We gave ourselves a “closing shift” on April 2 to get things tidied up. We deep cleaned the equipment, made sure no food was left out, and put everything neatly away.  When we left, we admired how clean and tidy we left things for our future selves.

During the hibernation, we kept communications up so gnomies could stay informed and connected, both to Muddy’s and to each other.  Everyone had the opportunity to sign up for a weekly “Gnome News” and checkin call and many signed up for the Gnomes-at-Home group chat online.  We also did some super fun and creative communication with customers, ensuring that we stayed connected to them, loving & serving from afar in new- and even wacky- ways! 

*        *        *

Now, cleaning up after a super fun and successful re-opening, we remember the crazy spring and feel hopeful for what’s ahead.  The day was a wonderful celebration of the love and gratitude we have for this place and our people.  We loved seeing familiar faces of our customers and reconnection! We wrote a billion Mad Props to each other.  We rocked adorable party hats… some gnomies even dressed as gnomes! 
We’ve incorporated some things we learned during the crisis that can actually help us be better... and love that Chicken Pot Pie is back as a staple of our take & bake program.  We also have more crossover between retail and kitchen, so gnomies learn lots of skills and enjoy the camaraderie of being one united team. 

All day long, we've made sure our customers know just how much we missed them and love them.  Hugs are allowed again now and boy, have there been a lot of them today.  And we are ending today as we ended our “faux-closing” on April Fools… with a champagne toast! 

Of course, things have changed.  The world has changed, Muddy’s has changed, and we as individuals have changed too.  But we are bustling around a space that is neat and clean. We’re reconnecting with old favorite customers and meeting some new ones.  We are SO proud of our past but also eager to get started on our future.   

We are Muddy’s 2.0 and we’re more ready than ever to love & serve our community. 
We are crazy committed to be a place where kindness is contagious, hospitality is legendary, and every bite is outrageously delicious! A place where every person matters and we use our powers for good. A place you can’t wait to visit again; an experience you’re proud to share!