Running a business is no easy task for the ordinary man. However, for Mary Love and her dependent crew of women, a story of hardship is turned into the tale of the successful Maramor Teahouse of Columbus, Ohio.
How It Began “I was just a young girl when I found my love of cooking, baking, and home economics,” Mary said. “A lot of people viewed working in a kitchen as the servant’s work, but for me, it was an art.” Her love was ignited by a high school cooking club where she and her friends prepared meals and learned to cook for each other (Sisters in Restaurant Success: A History of The Maramor, Mary Love's Tea Room). Soon after graduating high school, Love attended college at Kansas State. During her time as a student, she was asked to …show more content…
Her management plan was simple and direct. “The main reason for the failure of a business is when the employees are unhappy. I find it best to keep our cooks informed. We organize trays for meals with exact portion sizes and ingredients for our chefs to prepare. Along with that, they find instructions on how to prepare it. This process keeps the cooking quick, efficient, and delightful. A cook with poise and self-respect has a better chance of turning out a good product,” Mary said. Another point of interest is Love’s approach to workplace conflict. “I stress listening to concerns and making sure that everyone is feeling as if their opinion is respected. I believe in no wrong questions or unimportant opinions. Also, I find that guiding the process is very important during a meeting.” Her leadership is not her only strong suit, however. Public figures such as Helen Hayes, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne boast of the restaurants great tasting food. Alice Toklas wrote, “In Columbus, Ohio, there was a small restaurant that served meals that would have been my pride if they had come to our table from our kitchen. The cooks were women and the owner was a woman and it was managed by women. The cooking was beyond compare, neither fluffy nor emasculated, as women’s cooking can be [Oh Alice!], but succulent and savoury,” (Famous in Its Day: The