Meet Haley Kirk

We were lucky to catch up with Haley Kirk recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Haley, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

There are plenty of days that I’m searching for my optimism. As a small business owner, specifically the owner of a restaurant, there are plenty of things that don’t go as planned every single day. As someone who likes to control and prepare for what is ahead, owning and operating a restaurant can make that very difficult at times. I have had to take several steps back and look at the big picture. I have a beautiful family, healthy kids, loving friends and a sense of purpose. It is easy to become immersed in the exhaustion that comes from running a small business, but if I can just change the narrative in my mind when things go differently than expected, it makes for a much more fulfilling life. So many times we have regulars that come in for lunch and you can see a weight lifted off their shoulders, even if it’s for thirty minutes. We provide delicious and healthy comfort food and a welcoming environment and it so such a rewarding experience.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My husband and I opened our restaurant nine years ago. He was an executive chef in Birmingham, AL and worked very long and grueling hours. We vacationed in Flagler Beach and decided to take a risk and try to open our own place and it worked! Nine years later, our little town is booming and we are excited for the growth and what it means for our business. We are a lunch only restaurant, which has given us time to be there for our kids as much as possible. We have three beautiful children who we have watched grown up alongside our business. We have so many amazing regulars and customers that are passionate about what we have created. We serve food that we make to order from scratch. We are currently in the process of expanding our kitchen space that will hopefully lead to reaching even more locals with our amazing food.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My husband is the chef and his skills are definitely in the kitchen. He is so good at creating and consistently executing the dishes at our restaurant. A quality we have had to master is to trust our gut. There are so many decisions to be made when owning a business and sometimes you just have to go with what you feel is best for you and your business. Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are going to be things you’re really good at and things you aren’t. So don’t be afraid to ask for help when it comes to those things that you aren’t so good at.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

We are definitely at a place in our business where we would love to collaborate. We have an amazing product and it is unique. We have excelled in running a small shop and building a name for ourselves. We would love to take the next step in growing our business into something bigger. My specific thoughts are bottling and jarring our dressings and sauces. My husband, Ben makes the most amazing preserved lemon dressing for our kale salad and if we were able to sell bottles of it, it would fly off the shelves! We have other great sauces and side items that would work so well for a take home business model.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @vesselsandwichco
• Facebook: @vesselsandwichco
• Yelp: Vessel Sandwich