Page 35 of The Holy Grail

Jules knew Evan’s anger was fueled more by the pay issue than the shirts, and she needed to get the meeting back on track.

After getting everyone’s attention again, she went over all of her findings, pointing out where things were good, but mostly where they were bad.

She handed out page after page of her recommendations, showing how streamlining purchasing and cutting back on wasteful spending and inefficiency would increase their profit margin.

“You want us to be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays?” Evelyn asked, surprised.

“Yes. They’re your slowest days, by far, and are basically a money suck. Payroll on those days alone puts you in the red, so you start the week in a deficit, and that’s before you add in utilities and everything else. If you eliminate those two days, your monthly profit increases dramatically.”

Evelyn slowly nodded, followed by Everett and Evan.

“You also need to start staggering your staff better, and rotate closers, to tighten up payroll … which brings me to another issue: time cards.”

“What about them?” Everett wanted to know.

Jules made a face. “Where do I start? The fact you still have your employees filling them out by hand is ridiculous, and can make it easy for some people to be less than honest about their hours … like Lars. He’s been writing in the time he was scheduled to work as his actual hours—forty per week—even when Evan sends him home two hours early, so he’s essentially getting paid for forty hours and working thirty-one, on average. ”

“Are you serious?” Evelyn asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Jules answered. “He’s basically been stealing from you for at least six months, maybe longer … and as such, makes as much as Evan does, per hour, especially when you add in all the tips he skimmed from Evan.”

Evan poured himself another drink, muttering, “Goddamn Lars.”

Evelyn’s expression was decidedly unhappy. “He’s been skimming tips, too?”

“Yes. That’s actually what started all this,” Jules explained. “I watched him helping himself to the tip jar one night, and that led to me asking Evan a few questions.”

“I didn’t know all that was happening,” Everett said with a heavy sigh.

“But you should have,” Jules said flatly.

“You’re the one who handles all the time cards and payroll, and you should have noticed the hours for the waitresses didn’t match the schedule, because they were being honest …

and that should have alerted you to the fact Evan was sending people home before clean-up.

At the very least, it should have made you curious as to why Evan was sending all the servers home so early, but keeping an extra bartender on the clock—a bartender Evan doesn’t like to work with, as you well know.

That alone should have started a conversation, which could have changed a lot of things, but unfortunately, it didn’t.

” She softened her voice a little. “So, to fix the time card issue, I’m recommending a community computer be set up in the back hallway with a user-friendly software installed on it.

Everyone will sign in when they arrive, sign out when they leave, and payroll will be electronically and automatically calculated.

That’s going to be the most complicated change, but I’ll go over all that with you. ”

Evan addressed his brother and sister. “What about Lars? Can we finally get rid of him, like I’ve wanted to for months?”

Jules nodded. “He definitely needs to go.”

Everett and Evelyn both nodded in agreement, which made Evan look extremely thrilled as he said, “Thank God. I can’t wait to fire his ass.”

“No,” Jules told Evan. “I know how much you want to be the one to do it, but I think it should be Everett, because otherwise Lars might try and make the case he got fired because you hate him, and it was an unfair termination.”

“Make the case to who?”

“To whoever contacts him from the unemployment office after he applies for benefits.”

“You really think he’ll apply? Given the reason he’s being fired?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, but if he does, I don’t want him to qualify for any, because he’s a garbage employee.

And the best way to make sure he doesn’t qualify is to have Everett fire him, so in the event Lars does apply for benefits, the claim can then be contested with proof of submitting fraudulent time cards …

and your contentious working relationship is kept out of it. ”

“All right,” Evan said, somewhat grudgingly.

For the next ten minutes, the three siblings discussed the firing of Lars (when it would be done), the promotion of one of the servers (Mandy) to replace him, and the hiring of a new server, all of which would need to be done very quickly.

When they were finished, Jules got their attention again. “I do have one last thing. I’d actually like to circle back to the shirts, if you don’t mind.”

Evan’s eyebrows pinched together as he wondered what she was up to.

“I’ve actually given this a lot of thought,” she said, “and I think it would be a good idea to get new ones made. Evan didn’t get a say the first time around, so I’d like to put him in charge of the new shirts.”

“Hell, yeah,” Evan agreed with a smile.

She held up a hand, knowing he might not like the rest of her idea.

“I’m not proposing to get rid of the original shirts.

I know you fucking hate them, but most people think they’re cute, and I know this because I’ve asked a lot of people that come into the bar, okay?

What I’d like to see is maybe two more designs, similar to the first, one with Evelyn on the receiving end of the most abuse, and the other with Everett on the receiving end. Is that fair?”

Evan considered that for a long moment, then nodded. “That’s fair.”

“Good. I’d like the waitstaff to have one of each, and they can rotate them each night—to their discretion—and break things up a bit. This also helps so they don’t have to wash their shirt every day.” She looked from sibling to sibling. “You still with me?”

After receiving three nods, Jules continued.

“I’d also like you, and all bartenders to have different shirts.

Something a little more ‘professional’ if you will, with just ‘Three Amigos’ on it so it differentiates levels of staff.

Polo shirts work well, but the three of you can choose whatever style you want, as long as you make the decision together. ”

“All right,” Evelyn said, reaching over to pat Evan’s arm. “I really am sorry. I just … I didn’t realize how much I wasn’t listening to you.”

“And I didn’t realize how much I wasn’t paying attention,” Everett added, regret in his voice. “I’m sorry. ”

Jules let the siblings share a nice moment, and when it was over, and they all looked over at her, somewhat expectantly, she told them, “That’s pretty much all I have for now, unless you have any questions?”

When none appeared to be forthcoming, Jules smiled. “Well, then, in that case, I think I’ll let Evan take over.”

As her words sunk in, Evan’s eyes widened comically. “Take over … what?”

“Take over the rest of the meeting,” she clarified.

“Why would I do that?”

Grabbing a chair and parking her ass on it, Jules said, “So you can tell Everett and Evelyn your ideas for the bar. You have their attention, and I’m sure they’re willing to listen, so just tell them everything you previously told me.”

Evan suddenly felt like he was back in the third grade, and had just been called upon to work out a math problem on the chalkboard in front of the entire class. He was torn between the urge to throttle Jules and to kneel at her feet in gratitude for giving him a platform, such as it was.

He was also overcome with the urge to throw back another shot of Crown, but resisted. He needed to make the most of this moment he’d been given, by someone who believed in him and his visions, and was making her support known.

This was one of the few times he could recall anyone ever having done that for him, and it made his heart pound faster with appreciation.

He cleared his throat and thought back to that night with Jules, when he’d told her all his ideas, and began speaking.

After a few minutes, he began to relax, becoming more confident as his suggestions were met with more interest than disregard, and he found himself gathering steam and opening up even more.

He told his brother and sister everything, about feeling like an under-appreciated employee with little value, whose ideas never got taken seriously, rather than a respected, equal owner.

Evan then went on to talk about changes he’d implement if he could, from better music, a more appetizing bar menu, premium drinks, an inviting Happy Hour, to adding a large wall-mounted TV for sports-viewing pleasure, especially on the weekends.

When he was finally done, his siblings were gazing at him with something close to amazement—which Evan had never seen before—and Jules was wearing a proud smile, as if silently saying, Well done.

She did, however, call him out on the wall-mounted TV idea, which had been noticeably absent from his vision of a sophisticated, elegant space .

“I know,” he said. “That was my vision before , when it was still kind of possible, but that plane has left the runway, so it’s really time to move on from that and start thinking in a new direction … to find a happy medium. You know, incorporate traces of sophistication where they can be.”

“Those are good ideas,” Everett said, with Evelyn quickly agreeing.

“Thanks,” Evan replied, pleased.

“But I’m going to fight you on the live bands,” Everett added.

Evan frowned for a moment. “I might be willing to compromise on the live music, but only if I’m not working every night a band is playing.”

“That’s fair,” Evelyn immediately said, with Everett nodding.

A thoughtful silence fell over the group, and Jules watched the three siblings, pleased at how the meeting had gone. She was even more pleased when Everett looked over at her and said, “I’d like to have my salary lowered to $45,000, and the difference added to Evan’s.”