The Button

This morning, I clicked a button.

It said Initiate Payment.

Nothing dramatic about it. No fireworks. No applause. Just a confirmation screen and a deep breath.

But that click represented months of work, years of learning and a very real moment of commitment. On Friday morning, we close on The Local Epicurean Grand Rapids. At 10:00 a.m. that same day, it opens under our ownership.

Same doors. Same soul. New chapter.

I’m sharing a screenshot of that button not because the transaction itself is special, but because moments like this rarely look the way people expect them to. They’re quiet. Slightly anticlimactic. A little terrifying. And deeply satisfying.

Building something meaningful is often less about grand gestures and more about a series of unglamorous decisions made with intention. You do the work. You prepare. You double-check the numbers. And then, eventually, you click the button.

This one mattered.

Not because it marked the end of a process, but because it marked the beginning of a new responsibility. To the team. To the guests. To the idea that great hospitality is built one thoughtful decision at a time.

Friday morning will come quickly. The doors will open. People will walk in expecting a great experience. That’s the part that really counts.

The button was just the signal that we’re ready.

Onward.

- Gina, Mike and The 601 Group team