We recently connected with Dalton & Megan Shirley & Redlin and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dalton & Megan, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
We both get our work ethic from our parents. They are some of the hardest working people we know, and they have always pushed us to do our best. When we purchased Novios Café, they worked long hours right along side us to clean, paint, and spruce up the café. We’re talking 18-20 hour days–until 1 AM–with minimal complaining. For people close to retirement, they sure had the energy of 20-year-olds. They inspire us to keep going even when we’re tired. If they can keep going, we really have no excuses!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We met at Novios Café & Wine when it was the Blue Plate Diner & Dunn Brothers Coffee. When the former owners approached Dalton about purchasing the business, we knew that we had to jump at the opportunity. After deciding to drop the Dunn Brothers franchise, we re-branded as Novios Café & Wine. Megan is a Spanish teacher at Century High School in Rochester, and “novios” is a Spanish word for a couple–whether they are dating or engaged. Because we met here and the word is fairly easy for non-Spanish speakers to pronounce (no-vee-ohs), it seemed like the right fit for us.
Currently, we are most excited about the evening addition to our menu. In the mornings, we still serve the Blue Plate Diner’s fabulous breakfast and lunch favorites, but in the evenings, we serve a smaller dinner menu that compliments our beer and wine list. In addition to the evening menu, we offer a variety of events including Book Club on Tuesdays at 6 PM and live music by local musicians on Wednesdays from 6-8. We partner with a wine educator who comes in and offers wine classes periodically, and those have been fun. We are always looking for ways to bring the Rochester community together.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The area of knowledge that has been most impactful on this journey is Dalton’s time in the food industry. He worked every position in the coffee shop, slung beers at the Taphouse, and bartended at a few other restaurants in Rochester. This experience has proved invaluable during our transition to ownership.
Another skill that has been useful is Megan’s education, as she holds degrees in both Spanish and English. The English degree has helped us with filing paperwork from bank documents to city licensing.
The third quality is communication. Having the opportunity to connect with guests has helped us make Novios Café feel like a home–both for us and for patrons. We look forward to seeing people every day.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The number one challenge that we are currently facing is making time for ourselves. People don’t talk about how time-consuming owning a business is. If they do, we didn’t hear it! Sometimes it’s our own fault for being too attached. At any rate, we are learning to manage the mental load by making time for exercise and other activities that relieve stress.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novioscafe/
- Facebook: Novios Café
- Other: Website coming soon! In the meantime, check out our menu at: https://order.toasttab.com/online/novios-cafe
Image Credits
James Taylor, Digital Alchemy Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
